Slut
by Sexee Kakashi
Summary: Ten years have passed... Ino ends up as a stripper in a bar. After she loses her job, Shikamaru steps into the picture and offers her to stay with him and find her a new job. Will this be the start of something hot? COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

"**Slut" by Sexee Kakashi**

**This is my SECOND Shika x Ino fanfic. I don't know why, but I'm just so damn obsessed with this pairing! I find them so damn cute together! Well, according to me, I think this one'll be a bit better than the last one I did. I hope you like this fic!**

**-SK ;-)**

**PS ShikaXIno is the BEST STRAIGHT PAIRING IN NARUTO! And in FMA, it's Royai. SUPPORT!**

**Chapter 1- Ino's Life So Far…**

The years have passed and the ninja years have gone away so fast. It's been ten years already and our young nins have all grown up and found jobs.

It was an ordinary night at the Pink Paradise Bar in the village of Konoha. As usual, lots of male customers arrived to drink and be merry. The bar was best known for its parties, gigs and most of all, strippers. Ino was one of them.

"Wooo! Yeah! Keep on stripping, Ino!"

"OH YEAH!"

The customers yelled in excitement as Ino swung and tossed her top in the air. She danced on the stage, swaying her hips and stripping off some more. It was Ino's daily routine: Staying at home during the day, then stripping at night 'til morning. She was obviously in bad company, since guys always teased her and got her drunk. The poor girl.

And where are her other friends, you might ask? Well, all of them have obviously gotten way better jobs than her. Naruto has finally become Hokage, Sasuke became Naruto's personal assistant, Sakura married Sasuke and became a famous fashion designer and doctor, Lee became a popular martial arts teacher (like his dear Gai-sensei), Neji became a writer (his latest book is entitled _Fate and Destiny_), Tenten became Neji's wife and a homemaker, Kiba became a pet store owner, Hinata became Kiba's helper in the shop, Shino became a museum clerk and Choji owned his own restaurant, named after his team, The _Ino-Shika-Cho Restaurant._

And Shikamaru? Ino hasn't heard much from him since they graduated. Some said he became a school teacher, some said he disappeared off somewhere, and still some say he grew a beard just like his dad's.

All her friends have gone off to live better lives, so she's stuck as an all-night stripper in the Pink Paradise Bar. If you ask me, she wasn't very happy with her job there. She preferred to get married and have a family. But things didn't go as she planned.

Before she worked at the bar, she tried out several different jobs. But none of them suited her well. First, their flower shop went out of business and was closed down. She tried becoming a teacher at the academy, but sadly, she became so impatient with the kids, she didn't make it. She tried working as a waitress at Ichiraku, but instead of getting orders, she ended up flirting with the customers. She thought of helping out at Kiba's pet store, but the animals didn't quite like her.

So she's stuck being a stripper in a bar. And her life's been like that for many years now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2- Mugged in the Morning…**

It was a hard night's work for her, so she thought she'd stop by a convenience store to puff out a few cigarettes. As soon as she bought a few sticks, she noticed there were three guys pointing and staring at her. It made her feel uncomfortable since she was _still _wearing that revealing outfit she used in the bar. These guys slowly approached her and said, "Hey, babe. Mind if we asked you a favor?"

She tried to stay away, but they ganged up on her and blocked her way. "Please," she said, "Let me go."

"Entertain us, and we'll set you free." One of them said, "It's not that hard to do, really!"

Ino was scared. It's been years since she last lived as a ninja and so she forgot all about scrolls, fighting and jutsus. She was helpless. But she really needed to defend herself, so she punched one of the guys in the face.

"You're gonna pay for what you just did, girlie!" he said. Then, he slowly reached out his hand to pull down Ino's top, until a familiar voice spoke out…

"Hey, you thugs, I don't think three against one is a fair enough match. Three big guys like you clobbering-up a helpless pretty girl? I don't think so…"

"And just who do you think you are, eh, smart guy? …HUH!"

Then, from the shadows, there stood two men. One of them had blonde hair and a teasing smirk, while the other one had dark hair and had a serious look on his face, holding up an umbrella. Their hair went with the wind's strong blow. Leaves flew about as the three men stared at them in fear.

"So…" the blonde one said, "Recognize me now?"

The thugs' leader gulped and replied, "Ho… Hokage-sama! We didn't mean to-

"Shut up." said the dark-haired guy, "Look at you three. You're all cowards. How pathetic."

"Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto-sama!"

Ino stared at the two, amazed and muttered, "Naruto and Sasuke? The two of them together? No way!"

Just as the three men tried to run, Sasuke got hold of them and said, "Hokage-sama, please allow me to have these men arrested for harassing a young woman."

Naruto smiled and blushed. "Thanks, Sasuke! You're a guy!" Then, he turned to face Ino and asked, "Have they done anything to you?"

"N-no. They only asked me to strip for them. But then, I didn't want to, so-

"What is your name?"

"My name… Is Yamanaka Ino."

Naruto and Sasuke gasped in shock. "YOU'RE INO! NO WAY!" Then, they began choking. The three thugs ran and escaped. "Aw, darn. They got away!" Sasuke said. "No need to follow them." Naruto said, "We'll get 'em next time…" Then, they turned again to face Ino…

"AWWWW, NUTS!" Then, they began choking once again.

"Bleaugh!"

"Hokage-sama! Are you alright?"

"Sasuke! Get your wife! I think I might get sick…"

"Yes, sir!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3- The Truth can sometimes be EVIL…**

"Ack! Aggh! Awww…"

"Naruto-kun, you should drink some water and rest for a while!"

"Sakura… I've already become Hokage and you _still _treat me like a child. You haven't really changed much…"

"Stop it and drink this."

They were soon in Sasuke's residence, a simple yet happy home next to the village mountain of Konoha. They were all gathered in the living room, where Sakura gave Naruto some medication. Naruto continued choking and sometimes, even puked a lot. As she was treating him, Sakura noticed the blonde girl sitting on the couch in front of her.

"Darling, who's that?" she asked.

Sasuke cleared his throat and tried his best not to throw up. "Sakura, honey, would you believe that she was your best friend back when we were kids?"

"Sasuke! You don't mean…"

"Yup, that's Ino."

Sakura's eyes grew bigger and her jaws dropped down 'til it reached the floor.

"NAAAANIII! YOU'RE INO! I CAN'T BELIEVE MY EX-BEST FRIEND IS A STRIPPER! ARE YOU INSANE! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING! #$$(&)&!"

Ino quietly looked down and her eyes looked as if she was about to cry. Sakura suddenly calmed down and bent down to talk. "Ino, please, tell me I'm only dreaming."

Ino looked at her and sighed, "This is reality, Sakura. Yes, I _am _a stripper."

Sakura gasped and asked, "What on earth made you decide to become a ho! WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THE _REAL _INO!"

"Sakura," she replied, "_I'm _ the real Ino. I didn't really want this job, but I didn't have a choice! No one else wanted me!"

"The flower shop?"

"Went outta business. It's gone now."

"Your parents?"

"They migrated to Hawaii."

"The teaching business?"

"Scared the kids."

"How about being a waitress in Ichiraku?"

"Got fired last month. Don't even bother asking why."

"So… That's why you're a stripper now?"

"Yup."

Sakura fell on her knees and stared at her friend who was now wearing a tube top and a tiny mini skirt. "Your life must suck a lot," she said. Ino just sighed and looked down once again. "Is there anything I can do?" Sakura asked. "No, it's fine," Ino replied, "I'm okay."

Then, she stood up and said, "Well, it's getting late. I'd better be going home to my apartment."

"You sure you'll be alright? I mean, there are thugs and all-

"Don't worry; I'll be fine. Thanks."

And off she went to go home.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4- Bad Luck**

As soon as she reached the top floor, where her apartment unit was, Ino noticed something wasn't quite right… The door was open. She started to tremble in fear. She slowly and quietly crept inside and turned the lights on. She noticed that all her belongings were gone! The television, the furniture- EVERYTHING! Who could've done this, she asked.

It was cold and it was already three o' clock in the morning. She wasn't in the mood to call the police. She just looked for a corner to sleep in, and there she laid herself, all curled up and fast asleep.

As soon as the sun was shining brightly over her window, Ino got up and rubbed her eyes. She yawned as she saw the empty space all around her. No TV, no telephone, no chairs… There was nothing to eat- even the food got stolen.

"I really shoulda tried putting the flower shop back in business… It's much better than having to strip all night…" she said. Then, she stood up and walked over to the bathroom. She took her clothes off and stepped inside the shower room. As she turned the knob, nothing came out. "Oh yeah," she said, "I forgot to pay the water bill last week… Damn. I hate this life." She lazily put her clothes back on and went back into her room. She sat down in a corner, hungry and lonely. For hours, Ino had never been so quiet. After she thought that it was already bad enough, it just got worse… (Cliché, I know.)

"WHAT! Whaddya mean 'I lost my job?"

"You're fired, Ino. Your customers haven't been paying regularly, so you're out!"

"But there's no other place I can go to! I'm jobless!"

"Then, it's your problem! Goodbye!"

The door was slammed shut. Ino was left outside the bar, frustrated and weary. "IS THIS WHAT I GET FOR TRYING TO POISON SAKURA YEARS AGO! HAAAAARGH!" Then, she sat on one of the steps and watched the passing people look at her in disgust.

"Look at that slut. Serves her right for being such a naughty b."

"Her parents must be really ashamed of her that they left her here!"

"Hey, isn't that Ino? She used to be such a great ninja! What on earth happened to her!"

Ino's eyes were soon filled with tears. "Why? Why has my life been forsaken like this? I didn't want this! Please… Please take my life now; I don't need it anymore! I don't care if I go to hell, I just wanna die!"

She sobbed and she sobbed. Slowly, rain started to pour down onto the busy streets. She got wet as cars splashed water on her and rain drops dripped on her from the gutter of the bar's roof. She started to feel really bad and wanted so badly to die at that moment.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5- Shikamaru**

As she cried her eyes out, a smart-looking young man approached her. He was well-dressed in a suit, carried a briefcase full of important documents, wore eyeglasses and tied his hair in a spiky ponytail. He looked at Ino crying and crying and crying…

"Nothing's gonna happen if you just stay there, ya know." He said.

Immediately, Ino looked up and saw him looking down at her. He was somehow very familiar to her. The hair, the eyes, and the way he spoke to her just then. She knew it was him… It just had to be…

"Shikamaru?"

The man gasped in amazement and asked, "I'm sorry miss; but have we met before!"

Ino quickly stood up and held his hands. "It's me! Remember the good old days?" She went closer and closer, hoping that he might remember.

"I'm sorry," he said, "But I don't remember being friends with a stripper…"

"Argh… It's ME, YOU IDIOT!'

"I swear! I don't know you! Who are you!"

"I'M INO! FROM THE YAMANAKA CLAN! REMEMBER NOW!"

Shikamaru paused for a while and gave her the very same reaction as Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. He stared at her and examined her body and asked, "Ino? Is that really you?"

"Yes, it is." She replied, doing a sexy pose.

"I don't believe it… You? A stripper? COME ON!"

"What's so hard to believe about that?"

"EVERYTHING!" he said, "The Ino I once knew couldn't be _THIS _LUSTY!"

Ino just sighed and tried her best to smile at him. After a while, Shikamaru calmed down. "Forgive me," he said, "I was just shocked to see you… like this. Perhaps we can have a walk in the park so you could tell me everything."

"That sounds nice!" Ino smiled, "Okay, let's go!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6- A Walk through time…**

"A stripper? Really? But why?"

"There was no other job I can take." Ino sighed, "I've said this so many times… Our flower shop closed down, my parents are now in Hawaii, teaching kids isn't really my thing and animals hate me! But now, even as a stripper, I lost my job. I'm hopeless…"

Shikamaru stared at her and sighed. "A stripper, huh? How stupid. There are a lot of ways you can earn money, ya know… A _lot _of _better _ways… You should've considered becoming a street sweeper instead."

"A STREET SWEEPER! You're still the same, annoying, clever little rat, aren't you!"

"Well, at least I've got a far better job than you!"

"What are you, anyway?"

"I'm a lawyer, thanks for asking! And no, I'm still single. The girls just aren't biting these days, but why should I care? I'm sometimes better off alone."

"A lawyer, huh?" she sighed, "Congratulations."

"Thanks." Shikamaru replied. Then, he asked, "Shouldn't you be heading home? I mean, since you're jobless…"

"I don't have a home. I was robbed last night."

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah, really."

Then, Shikamaru stood up and said, "Well, since I'm a gentleman, I suppose you can stay with me in my house. I mean, if it's alright with you and all. I could even find you a new job- one that doesn't involve stripping,"

"Really?" Ino asked, "You'd do that!"

"Uh… Yeah." He replied, slightly blushing, "I live alone, you see… Though Choji sometimes comes over for dinner, there's still plenty of space for one more person."

Ino's face lit up and quickly hugged Shikamaru. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much! I promise I won't be a burden to you! You're doing so much for me, Shikamaru!"

"Uhurm, yeah… No problem… Just don't do anything well, shameful while you're with me…" Shikamaru said, partially blushing, "I often have visitors and I wouldn't want them to see me having you in my house doing whatsoever. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand completely!" Ino smiled.

"Okay then; let's go."

And off they went to Shikamaru's house…


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7- Ta-Daaah! (Man, what a lame title…) --"**

"WHOA! THIS PLACE IS INCRDIBLY HUGE! Who knew you were gonna end up in a palace someday!"

"It's all part of the job; I do it well and get rich. Now, come on inside so we could have dinner. I'm starving!"

"Sure!"

Suddenly, the door swung open and hit Shikamaru's face. A jolly, fat man came out to greet him.

"HEEEY, BUDDY! How was work today!"

"Choji? You're here already? Aw, man…"

"Don't worry! I didn't eat anything… yet!"

"Oh, that's good; coz Ino and I need a decent meal after a hard long day."

Suddenly, Choji's eyes grew bigger. "INO! ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT GIRL STANDING NEXT TO YOU IS INO FROM BEFORE! Oh my Gai…"

Ino smiled shyly and said, "I see you're still the same, eh, Choji? Still eating like before?"

Choji tapped his tummy and said, "Ah, yes! Still as hungry as before! Never stopped eating! How've you been lately? It's been a long time since we last saw each other! What job do you have?"

Ino tightened her fists and replied, "I don't really want to talk about that at the moment… I've been having a bad day, you see."

"Oh, I understand…" Choji said, "Lost your job, huh?"

Ino nodded and continued looking at her feet.

"Okay, I see why you're so depressed. Cheer up!" Choji said comfortingly, "Let's have dinner now! I made our favorite ramen!"

"You cooked for us?" Shikamaru asked, removing his shoes.

"Well, yeah…" Choji answered, "I _do _own my own restaurant, don't I?"

"Good for you… Being a lawyer is exhausting!"

As Choji and Shikamaru continued with their conversation, Ino stared at the two and admired how they've grown over the past few years. Knowing that her two best friends grew up with good jobs made her happy. Finding out they were still the same as before made her even happier. She smiled and wrapped her arms around her. Finally, the two ended their discussion.

"Damn, I'm getting hungry…"

"That's why I'm telling you to stop talking and get inside so we can eat…"

"Okay! I'll go on ahead then!"

"Ino, let's get inside!"

"Oh, um- right! Coming!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8- Discussions over dinner…**

"I cooked a big bowlful, so help yourselves! If you want some more, feel free to ask!"

The three of them were sitting on soft, comfy chairs. The table was five meters long and a meter wide. Shikamaru sat on one end, while Choji and Ino sat on the seats beside him- one on the left, and the other on the right. Ino continued looking around her, amazed how rich Shikamaru got because of his job. His house was a huge mansion- with a chandelier hanging above them, a spiral staircase, a large swimming pool, a huge television and so much more. The whole place was air-conditioned! It was a huge place with lots of rooms to explore. Each corner had a surprise to share.

"Ino, what are you looking at?"

"Who, me? Oh, um… Nothing, really…"

"Well, then, let's eat!"

"My ramen will surely keep you full for the whole night! And you'll die of its goodness!"

"_Itadakimasu!_"

They took turns in filling their bowls. Choji got the biggest amount, of course. Then, they each got a pair of chopsticks and started stuffing their faces.

"Choji, you cooked this? It's great! The best ramen I've ever tasted!" Ino complimented.

"Well," Shikamaru said, "That's just one of Choji's amazing cooking talents! Wait 'till you taste his roasted barbeque… With honey and lemons…"

"Hmmm, I guess I should try some more of his dishes some day…" Ino said then continued eating.

"I _must _say, Choji. This ramen of yours is amazingly delicious! I've never tasted anything like it before!" Shikamaru said with delight, "What did you put in this?"

"What did I put?" Choji asked with his mouth full, "Well, I put the usual ingredients: Raw egg, beef, spices and vegetables! And then, I added salt and pineapple and lots of pepper! And maybe a few drops of sweet and sour sauce and vinegar!"

"No wonder it's kinda spicy and sour at the same time…" Ino said, "Nice combination!"

"Thanks." Choji said, flattered, "I should cook for you sometime! Ask me to cook anything! I'd happily cook it for you for free!"

"Thanks, I guess."

"Don't need to thank me! Anything for a good friend!"

Then, Choji continued slurping on the soup and gobbling up the ramen. After a while, his bowl was empty. He quickly grabbed the dipper and filled up his bowl again. "Ahhh… Ramen…" he said, "Sweet gift from heaven!"

Suddenly, Shikamaru remembered something. He quickly got out of his seat and asked, "Can I get you guys anything? What drinks would you like to have?"

"Get me some Slurpo Beer, please! And maybe some mayonnaise while you're at it," Choji said.

"Some champagne would be nice." Ino said.

Shikamaru was surprised upon hearing this. "Champagne, Ino? A-are you sure about this? You might get drunk…"

"Don't worry, Shikamaru." She replied, "I'm sure. You could just leave me lying on the floor if I _do _get drunk… I'm used to it, it always happens."

"Okay," Shikamaru said, "If you insist…"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9- Drunken Ino.**

A few minutes passed and Shikamaru came back with bottles of beer and champagne. After that, he went back to the kitchen and came back with a bucket of ice. "Don't get too much, you guys. If you get drunk, I don't know what I'll do with the two of you…" he said, rubbing his eyes, "Well, it's getting kinda late… I'll go to bed now, if you don't mind."

"Okay!" Choji said, "Good night then!"

"Good night, Choji."

And up, he went, leaving his two other friends alone together in the dining area.

"Well," Choji said, "I didn't ask him to get beer for nothing! I'll start drinking!"

Ino shyly replied, "Might as well drink some o' this too,"

"POP!" went the bottle as Choji took the cap off. "Mmmm… The sweet smell of beer…" he moaned, sniffing. Ino slowly poured some champagne into her glass and toyed with it, moving her glass around and watching the drink inside it spin around. And around… And around… And around… And…

"Ino, are you gonna drink that?"

"Uhhh… Yeah."

"So, why aren't you drinking it yet?"

"It's none of your business…"

"Okay! If you say so…"

Choji sighed after finishing the last drop. "Ahhh… That was delicious! It would be such a great idea to drink another one, but Shikamaru _did _say we shouldn't drink _too _much, right? Heheheh…"

Slowly, Ino placed the glass near her mouth and started drinking. After she finished it, she filled it up again. And again… And again… And again… And again… And…

"INO! STOP DRINKING! Aw, man… Shikamaru's really gonna kill me!"

"Huh? What?..."

"I said, stop drinking! You're drunk already!"

"But I like getting drunk…"

"No, you don't! It's not good for you!"

Suddenly, Ino fell to the floor. She wasn't moving; but she was still breathing. Even so, Choji started to panic. He quickly ran up to Shikamaru's room and yelled, "SHIKAMARUUUU! INO'S DRUNK!"

Immediately, Shikamaru woke up, scratching his head. "Didn't I tell you not to drink too much?" he asked.

"She wouldn't listen!" Choji replied, waving his hands up in the air, "I told her to stop already, but she went on and on! Now, she's on the floor, motionless!"

"WHAT!" Shikamaru then, stood up and grabbed Choji's collar. "She's motionless! You should'a at least tried to grab the glass of champagne from her! Great! Now, she's dead…"

"She's still breathing! I never said anything about her being dead, man! You're worrying too much, Shikamaru!"

Quickly, Shikamaru let go of his friend and replied, "Ahurm… Uh, I wasn't worrying about her…"

"You weren't?"

"Choji…" he tisked, "Do you actually think I have feelings for that girl?"

"Uh… Yeah," Choji replied, "Why else would you bring her here?"

"'Coz I felt like it was the right thing to do. She was homeless and jobless, so I decided I'd help her out… My dad always told me to be kind to a lady. I'm just following orders; it's nothing personal, okay?"

"Why'd you grab me by the shirt when I told you she wasn't moving then!"

"Because if the police found out she was dead, they might have me arrested…"

"Oh. Good point."

And with that ending their discussion, Shikamaru went down to check-up on his drunken friend.

"Well, I'm off now!"

"See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Shikamaru! Oh, and keep Ino safe."

"Sure. Drive safely."

As soon as the door closed, Shikamaru turned around to look at Ino. She was still lying on the floor, completely still and completely silent. "Sigh… Oh, Ino…" Shikamaru sighed, "Silly girl." He gently picked her up and said, "If it weren't for me, you'd probably be dead by now… I wanna hear a big, fat 'thank you' as soon as you wake up, 'kay? Geez… Women…" He then, carried her up to his bedroom and gently laid her down on his bed. "Be thankful I pity you, Ino. Otherwise, I would've left you down there… Man, why am I even speaking to you when you can't even hear me! That's it; enough of this foolishness. Less talk, more sleep. Goodnight. Damn, who am I even speaking to!"

Shikamaru quickly changed into his comfy, green boxers and laid himself down onto the big, green sofa he had in his room. (Wow! He likes **GREEN…**) "Ahhh… I don't mind Ino sleeping there! My chair's much comfier, anyway!" Then, he closed his eyes and quickly, fell asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10- A Promise to the Shining Stars…**

It was midnight. The sky was dark and the clouds were hazy. The moon was big and bright and the stars twinkled like diamonds on a black nightgown. It was cold. Ino woke up upon feeling the breeze of the frosty air. "It's kinda cold tonight… Well, winter _is _coming…" Then, she noticed she was no longer on the floor of the dining room. She was now on a soft bed with pillows, in a large room. She looked around and saw Shikamaru sleeping on the sofa in the moonlight. She smiled and blushed. She walked over to him and said softly, "I promise, Shikamaru. Once you get up from your sleep, I'll thank you for everything you've done for me today, even if I can do nothing to repay you." Then, she gave him a peck on the cheek and went to bed.

She sat there, and once again looked at Shikamaru with love. She then realized she was falling in love with him. She smiled and hugged the pillow that was next to her. Then, she looked outside the window and saw the twinkling bright stars in the sky. "I'll be a star to you, Shikamaru," she said, "And I'll be the only star you'll see in the sky at night. I'm ready to make your dreams come true…" Then, she closed her eyes and fell onto the bed. She fell asleep once again, but this time, with a happy smile on her face.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11- Breakfast**

"Ahh… That was a nice sleep… Yawn… Huh? What's cooking?"

"Ino, are you- DAMN! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU WEARING!"

"Oh! Good morning, Shikamaru! Did'ya sleep well?"

"Oh, I slept peacefully! But now, my morning seems like a living nightmare! Put some decent clothes on if you wanna do me a favor!"

Ino was cooking while wearing a black see-thru mini skirt and a top and a thong. Shikamaru's nose started to bleed.

"I'm sorry," Ino said, "It's just that all my clothes are like this! Hey! At least I don't walk around the place naked, right?"

Shikamaru turned around and covered his eyes. "That's it, I'm not going to work today…"

"Huh? But why?"

"I'm gonna have to buy you some new clothes…"

"You mean you'll take me shopping?" Ino asked, with starry eyes.

"Yeah, or I could just ask Sakura to sew something for you…"

"Yay! Thank you, Shikamaru!" Then, she jumped and hugged Shikamaru's waist, only making his nose bleed even more.

"Stop that!" he said, "Put on a shirt before you lay a finger on me!"

Shyly, Ino let go of him and looked down at the floor, playing with her fingers exactly like Hinata. "Uhm- sorry!" she said, blushing. "S'okay." Shikamaru said, tying his hair, "After breakfast, take a bath and I'll have Sakura over to sew something for you… 'Cause seriously, you can't be seen in the mall wearing _that!_"

"Heheheh… Okay," Ino chuckled nervously, "Well, I made us some breakfast!"

"Thanks." Shikamaru said, "Sausage and eggs is my favorite."

Ino smiled shyly and placed a fried egg and a couple of sausages on Shikamaru's plate. Afterwards, she poured some cold orange juice into his glass.

"I never imagined you to be this hospitable," Shikamaru said, drinking his juice, "I always thought you'd always stay being that annoying, sassy blonde who'd kill for Sasuke." Ino blushed and smiled at him, chuckling nervously once again. "I've gotten over Sasuke already!" she said, "He's already married to Sakura, so there's nothing I can do about it!"

Then, she looked at him and said, "Besides, I think I've already fallen in love with someone else! Wanna know who it is?"

Shikamaru bit off a piece of his sausage and replied, "Nope, not interested."

Ino frowned and said, "Awww, c'mon! I know you're simply _dying _to find out who it is!"

"Why the hell would I wanna know?" he asked, slicing off another piece, "I don't wanna mess with your personal love life. Other than that, I really don't care about who you're chasing after now."

Ino sat down on her chair, pissed and looked at him angrily. She watched his every move, hoping he might ask her finally. But he never did. He just went on with his breakfast, acting as if there was no one else in the house. "You've never stopped to care, have you?" Ino said, frustrated, "Damn. How I wish I could crush that big, fuzzy head of yours!"

"I could throw you back into the streets if you do that." Shikamaru answered, "Have you no gratefulness for all the good I've done for you, Ino?"

"Dammit," Ino said, "You're starting to sound like a priest…"

"You could show your appreciation by washing the dishes." Shikamaru said, getting up from his seat, "I'll be upstairs taking a shower. See 'ya."

Up, he went to the shower room. Ino just stared at him with angry eyes. She continued cursing, yelling and pounding the table. "DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT!" she cursed on when suddenly, the door upstairs swung open. Shikamaru cried out, "You better get to work soon or you won't be receiving any more of my kindness!"

"Fine! I'll wash those stupid dishes…" she said as she stomped her way to the kitchen, carrying the plates with her two hands. Still frustrated and annoyed, she began washing the dishes one by one. "Great…" she sighed, "I lost my job at the bar and now, I'm here as Attorney Shikamaru Nara's new dishwasher."

Meanwhile, upstairs, Shikamaru still hasn't stepped into the shower. He was still in his night clothes. He walked over to his briefcase and took out his cell phone. He dialed a number. It started ringing.

"Toot………… Toot…………"

He waited until finally, someone picked it up. "Hello?" said the voice.

"Good morning, Sakura. This is Shikamaru."

"SHIKAMARU! NARA SHIKAMARU! Oh my dear it's been years since I last heard your voice! How's everything! What kind of job do you have! Do you have a beard just like Shikaku-san's!"

"I'm fine, thank you. I'm a lawyer now and no, I do not have a beard just like my father's. I shave every morning, thank you very much. I heard you and Sasuke got married and you work as a fashion designer."

"Oh, yes! Sasuke and I got married a few weeks ago, actually! Too bad you didn't attend our wedding. Hey! Have you heard about Ino? Man, if you see that girl, you wouldn't believe what's-

"I've seen her. She's in my house right now."

"…and man, she is so… WHAT! INO'S IN YOUR HOUSE! NOW!"

"Yeah, I met her last night. She was sitting helplessly. So, I decided to help the pitiable girl out."

"That is so sweet! I always knew you had a soft side for her! Despite all the arguments the two of you had years ago…"

"Yeah, whatever. Listen, Sakura. I have a favor to ask of you. It's not much, but…"

"You can ask me anything! Just say the word and I'm there!"

"Okay. Could you come by and well, sew Ino an outfit? 'Ya see, I told her I'd take her shopping today 'coz that wardrobe she's got is pretty revealing… And I wouldn't want to see the guys in the mall with their noses bleeding. Their girlfriends and wives just might run after me and have me run over!"

"I see what you mean! Still wearing stripper clothes, isn't she?"

"Yup. So… Can you come?"

"Of course! What's your address?..."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12- Makeover Magic**

"Ah! That bath was refreshing!"

"Good, now get ready."

"You again!"

Ino suddenly burst into flames as she saw Shikamaru coming down the stairs in a black gentleman's suit. She angrily looked away and tried her best to ignore him.

"Sakura'll be here in a couple of minutes," Shikamaru said, fixing his tie, "so I suggest you be patient."

"Don't worry; I can manage, thank you very much!" she said sarcastically.

The two of them waited. It was quiet. For a sunny day, Ino looked as if there was a storm, all grumpy and angry. Shikamaru looked like he didn't care at all; he was yawning and rubbing his eyes. It was silent. Suddenly, the door bell rang. Shikamaru went out and opened the gates. Outside, Sakura stood carrying a huge box and rolls of colorful cloth. Behind her, was Sasuke in a shiny black car.

"You go on ahead, dearest." Sasuke said, "I'll go park the car."

"I'll be waiting for you, pumpkin!" Sakura smiled, giving Sasuke a flying kiss.

Sasuke blushed and smiled then, drove off.

"Come in," Shikamaru said, leading Sakura into his house.

"Wow! This is amazing!" Sakura exclaimed, "You live in a mansion! You must be really rich!"

"Uh, yeah…"

Sakura suddenly spotted the suit Shikamaru was wearing. She looked at him and said, "'Ya know, you didn't have to dress up so formally, Shikamaru! It's just me coming over,"

"I like suits." he answered.

"Oh, okay!" Sakura said, "So… Where's Ino?"

Slowly, Ino peeked from behind a wall and said, "Here I am." "Ah! Ino! There, you are!" Sakura said, "Now, come here so I could make you something." Shyly, she walked over to where Sakura was standing. Sakura examined her body carefully and said, "This might take a while… Maybe two hours…"

"That's fine with me," Shikamaru said, "Just as long as we can finally get rid of those outfits she's wearing."

"Okie dokie then!" Sakura exclaimed happily, "It's time to get to work then! Shikamaru, why don't you and Sasuke go out for a while?"

"Okay," Shikamaru sighed, "I'm counting on you, Sakura."

"I won't disappoint you! I swear I'll come up with something good!"

"Thanks. You're a doll."

And with that, Shikamaru walked out the door. Sakura and Ino were left alone in the living room. "Well," Sakura said, "These clothes won't sew themselves! It's time to get moving! Meet my new friends, Ino! Miss cloth, mister scissors and mister thread!"

"You forgot about missus measuring tape, Sakura!" Ino giggled.

"Ah, yes! I almost forgot!" Sakura laughed, "Okay! Let's start!"

She grabbed the measuring tape and measured Ino's body. After measuring her dear old friend, Sakura grabbed a pencil and sketchbook and scribbled out a design. Ino peeked from behind and saw her friend sketching an outfit. "Well, since it _is _getting kinda cold these days," Sakura said, "I thought I'd make you a really cute winter getup! Ah, yes! Shikamaru won't be able to resist you! I swear you'll look really cute in this!" Ino suddenly blushed and asked, "Sakura-chan, how'd you know about my secret crush on Shikamaru!"

Sakura looked at her friend, surprised and said, "YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON SHIKAMARU! SINCE WHEN!"

"I thought you would've found that out by now," Ino sighed, "Oh well…"

Sakura smiled at Ino and said, "Finally dumped Sasuke for someone else, eh? Well, Sasuke _is _my husband and now you realize that _I'm _his girl!"

Ino frowned and replied, "Uh… Yeah… Whatever, Sakura. But if you're trying to make me feel better, this really isn't working…"

"I apologize." Sakura said, politely, "I'll make it up to you. Now, tell me, what colors to do think suit you the most? Sky blue, mint green, or lavender?"

"Huh?" Ino shrugged, "Why are you asking me?"

"They're winter colors, Ino." Sakura said, "Geez, and I thought you were a fashion freak back in those good old days…"

Ino chuckled nervously and replied, "Well, people haven't really been asking me what colors I want for my clothes lately! In the bar, they just sewed us some outfits and we wore them, regardless of the color! Whether we liked it or not, we…"

"…enough of the stripper talk, Ino. Don't wanna hear it!" Sakura butted in, "You live in a rich man's palace now, so just forget your past life in that crappy old bar, understand?"

"Uh… Sure,"

"You deserve a better life, so now, please answer my question! Is it sky blue, mint green or lavender!"

"OKAY! OKAY! LAVENDER!"

"Yes, yes… And it _does _look good with mint green as well, so maybe I should put both instead of just one…"

"Heheh…"

"Good choice, Ino! This'll take a while, but you'll be dazzled when you see my creation!"

"I'll be waiting then!"

SAKURA: CHAAAAAAAAA!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13- The Sentimental Chat about Those Days…**

"So… How've you been lately? We haven't heard much from you since we graduated."

"Yeah, I know. It's been years. I heard you and Sakura got married just recently."

"Yeah, a few weeks ago, actually."

"You happy with that?"

"Yeah, though I still can't say I'm _that _happy…"

"Why is that so?"

"To tell you the truth, Shikamaru, there's actually someone I love _more _than Sakura."

"Really?"

"Yeah…"

"I see. So you're caught between two loves, eh?"

"Looks that way, but Sakura's a sweetie. So, I really don't mind."

"That's good. So… Could you tell me who that other person is?"

"Other person?"

"Yeah… The one you claimed you love more than Sakura."

"Oh… Him."

"You're in love with a guy!"

"Yeah."

"Who is it?"

"I'm serving him right now and I am honored to be his right-hand man… Dear Hokage-sama…"

"Oh, you mean Naruto. That's cute. Never really thought you'd feel _that _way towards him someday. I always thought the two of you would never stop fighting."

"Yeah, I thought so too. You know, I'm glad I came back."

"Came back?"

"…to Konoha. If I went away for even just one day, I'd already miss this place so much by only a few kilometers. It's such a beautiful country… My hometown… I'm never going away to join Orochimaru again."

"Damn you, you made us suffer **BIG TIME!"**

"I'm sorry. I now admit how foolish it was for me to choose power over good friends."

"Nah, it's okay. That ship has sailed."

"I'm glad you guys still found a way to forgive me after all the terrible things I've done years ago…"

"Hey, that was nothing. After all, you _are _a ninja from the Leaf country too, right?"

"Correction. _Was _a Leaf ninja."

"Oh, yeah. The ninja years are gone now… Since technology came, we no longer used kunais, or shuriken…"

"…jutsus have been long forgotten too. How I miss those days. The Bell Training, the Chuunin exams and all…"

"Yeah. The Hokage that was once treated like royalty turned into a crappy, unmarried mayor instead… Where have the ninjas gone?"

"Beats me. But wherever the rest are, I sure miss them…"

"Yeah…"

"Hey, have you ever wondered what happened to our senseis from those days?"

"You mean Kakashi-sensei, Gai-sensei, Asuma and Kurenai-sensei?"

"Yeah, them."

"Ya know, Sasuke, now that you've mentioned it, I _am _starting to wonder… I wanna know how they're doing now… Lee's probably still seeing Gai these days… That guy can't live a day without seeing his beloved teacher!"

"Yeah and I've been missing Kakashi-sensei lately… I miss that big fuzzy head of his and that mysterious mask…"

"I miss Asuma's beard!"

"What the…"

"Just kidding! I just miss him. No special reason."

"It gets kinda sad when you remember old memories, huh?"

"Yeah. Sometimes, I wish I had a time machine to take me back to those happy days… With my friends, with my sensei, training, fighting…"

"Tell me about it."

"It sometimes gets depressing… How I wish…"

"You used to hate training a lot when you were a kid, didn't you?"

"Darn… I always wanted a break back then. But now, I'd rather train with Asuma and my friends than do more paperwork…"

"Paperwork? Are you a lawyer?"

"Yup. Horrible, but I get paid a large sum of money. Lots and lots of Ryo!"

"Ah. So you work for the money then."

"Yup, there's no other reason. Though I'm not really happy with my job, I need to do something for a living."

"Okay, enough about the jobs. Tell me about Ino."

"Ino? You'd actually be interested to talk about that girl?"

"Yeah, wouldn't _you_ be?"

"No."

"But all the while, I thought you were crushing on her, Shikamaru! Oopsies."

"Damn. Why does everybody think the same? First Choji, now you, Sasuke…"

"I'm sorry."

"S'okay. She's still the same sassy girl… But worse now."

"I see. Is it hell having her in your house?"

"Not really. Ino's okay… Though I wish she'd stop making my nose bleed…"

"Okay, I don't wanna hear any more of that… It's starting to sound disgusting…"

"Okay. Hey, Sasuke."

"Yeah?"

"What ever happened to 'I WILL AVENGE MY CLAN AND KILL ITACHI?"

"Oh, that. I can't lay a finger on the guy…"

"Too strong for you?"

"No. Deidara gets in the way and seeing the two of them makes me wanna puke…"

"Nani?"

"She's always flirting around him… Then, Itachi-nisan starts acting all mushy and sweet… So, I've given up and decided to forgive the guy… Damn, Deidara."

"Okay, I understand… That's how it is when people are in love!"

"…"

"Sorry…"

"Hey, Shikamaru, are you hungry?"

"Where'd that question suddenly come from!"

"Just answer it."

"Okay, maybe a little…"

"Let's have some ramen, then. I'll ask Naruto-sama to come along, too!"

"REALLY! That's so sweet of you, Sasuke!"

"Naruto-sama! Y-you're here!" BLUSH, BLUSH

"Uh-huh!"

"Alrightie then! We're off to Ichiraku."

"RAMEN!"


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14- Sakura's Burning Passion.**

"I'm almost done; I only have to put on a few more stitches!"

"Okay,"

"Stay put, Ino! I might stab you with the needle!"

Nightfall was breaking. Sakura and Ino were still the only ones in the room. The light was orange. Ino was standing on a stool with Sakura sewing the sheets of cloth that were wrapped around her. Sakura was sweating a lot, and her hands were starting to shake.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ino asked, "Maybe you should stop for a while."

"Me? Stop? No way!" Sakura insisted, putting the needle into the blue denim cloth, "I want Shikamaru to see you as soon as he gets back! Who knows when the boys will be arriving? I have to have this creation done by then!"

"Okay, Sakura."

Sakura went on with her business, stitching the pieces of cloth. Ino continued staying still, with her knees already shaking.

"When will it be done, Sakura?" Ino asked, "'Cause I'm starting to feel uneasy on this stool…"

"Just a few more stitches, Ino!" Sakura replied, biting her lower lip, "I'm almost finished. If we still have time, I could teach you some more tips on seducing… You'll have Shikamaru…"

"Being a stripper," Ino said, "Don't you think I already know how to seduce?"

"Nah, that kind of seducing doesn't work on his type…" Sakura replied, "Now hold still so I can finish this…"

"O-okay, sorry."

With only a few more inches left to sew, Sakura went on, with the ardent passion to design clothes seen on her face. The burning desire to make the perfect outfit made her go on and on, until…

"I'M DONE! It's finally finished!"

"Really?"

"Take a look at yourself, Ino."

Ino slowly turned to face the huge mirror behind her. Once she saw herself, she was amazed by how beautiful the outfit looked on her. She was wearing a mint green jacket, a lavender and white striped top and a denim blue mini skirt.

"Sakura!" Ino exclaimed, "This… This work of yours is awesome!"

"Yes, it is…" Sakura said, looking at Ino with an unsatisfied look on her face, "Though I still can't say this outfit is complete… It's still missing something…"

"It's okay!" Ino replied, twirling the skirt, "This is already good enough for me!"

"I can't settle with just _that, _Ino." Sakura said, "I _must _make this creation as perfect as possible! I won't stop here! I _can't _stop until I am satisfied with my work! Now, stay put and let me look at what you're missing…"

Ino faced Sakura once again and stood still. Sakura carefully looked at Ino.

"You need _shoes, _of course… Black Mary Janes with lilac thigh-high socks would do the trick…"

Then, Sakura moved up and said, "A nice purple crocheted scarf would make this winter outfit effective… Plum or wisteria, maybe…"

Then, she finally came onto Ino's face. "Your eyes are lovely," she said, "And I believe something should match them… Some dangling silver heart earrings would do the trick!"

Sakura walked to her huge sewing box and took out some more stuff. "I have the socks you need right here! They were supposed to be made into sleeves, though. But it's okay! You can have them!"

"Thank you."

"And the earrings," Sakura took out the silver heart earrings she wore, "You can have them too. They pay me a lot anyway."

"Thank you so much…"

"I think Hinata has a pair of black Mary Janes… I'll call her up and ask her to come by…"

"Hinata-san has small feet…"

"No. The two of you are size six, actually."

"She's a six too?"

"Yup. Now, all I have to do is work on that scarf of yours!" Quickly, Sakura grabbed her knitting kit. Purple yarn and two knitting… What do you call them? Needles?

"Could you get me a glass of water from the kitchen, Ino? I'm getting kinda thirsty."

"Sure!"


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15- Hinata Comes over**

"Good evening! This is the Inuzuka Pet Store… Um, what may I do for you?"

"Hi, Hinata. This is Sakura."

"Sakura? Oh, um, what is it? Are you looking for a pet? Just tell me what kind of pet you'd like, and-

"Sorry, but it's not a pet I'm looking for…"

"Huh? Not a pet? What is it you need then?"

"Hinata… You're feet are size six, aren't they?"

"Um, yes they are. Why?"

"Might you have a pair of Mary Janes there?"

"Mary Janes? You mean the school-type shoes?"

"Yes."

"I have a pair here."

"Great! Do you have a car?"

"I only go around by bicycle… But the chain broke, so I can't use it… Shino's got a car, though."

"Until when does he stay in the museum?"

"He stays 'til ten in the evening…"

"Oh. That's too late. Nevermind, the pet store's only a few blocks away from here anyway! Could you walk three blocks, Hinata?"

"Sure, I… I guess,"

"Okay! Come by with the shoes. The address is #274 Taiyou street, okay?"

"Alright, I'll be there in about five to ten minutes."

"I'll be waiting, then!"

BEEEEEEEP…

Hinata quickly bent to reach the shoes under the counter. Slowly taking her apron off, she rushed outside the shop carrying the pair of shoes Sakura asked her to bring.

"Where are you going, Hinata?" Kiba asked.

"I'll only take a while!" Hinata replied, "I'll be back later, I promise!"

She continued running and running. She panted heavily as she passed by the houses and stalls. "Unit 265, unit 266, 267…" she counted as she passed each house, "270, unit 271, unit 272, unit 273, ah… and here it is, unit 274… WOW! This place is amazing! Sakura lives here!" Still panting, she pressed the doorbell button. Sakura quickly answered the gate… "Hinata! That was fast!"

"Thanks," Hinata replied, "I still have quite an amount of chakra inside me, you see!"

"Good for you! Come inside."

Hinata came inside and was mesmerized by the place. As Sakura closed the gate, Hinata looked around with wonder and excitement. "This is quite a place you've got, Sakura-san!" she said.

"Oh, this isn't mine!" Sakura replied, "Shikamaru lives here…"

"Shikamaru?" Hinata said, blushing, "Wow… He's rich."

"You bet he is! Now, there's someone inside I want to introduce you to…"


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16- Surprise**

"I-I-Ino? My goodness, I haven't seen you in years! How've you been lately?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

Hinata was surprised to see Ino after such a long time. She was happy.

"Hey! Did Sakura make this?" Hinata asked, looking at the clothes Ino was wearing.

"Yup!" Ino answered, "Isn't she a genius?"

"I could make one for you too, if you like, Hinata." Sakura said.

"Can you? Really?" Hinata asked, "That would be so cool!"

"I'm glad you think so!"

"Oh yeah, here are the shoes you wanted me to bring!" Hinata said, handing the box to Sakura, "They still need a little polishing, though… I haven't used them in a while, so they're quite dusty."

"That's okay!" Sakura said, "Polishing is nothing. Just wipe it clean and it's as good as new. Ino, could you get the shoe polisher, please?"

"Where is it? I've only been in this house for like, one day…"

"I think Shikamaru's shoe cabinet is upstairs."

"Oh, okay then."

Ino climbed up the spiral staircase and reached the second floor. She looked and looked at every side, but there seemed to be no sign of Shikamaru's shoe cabinet… Until…

"I know! I'll try his room…"

Ino slowly turned the knob and opened the door to Shikamaru's room. It smelled like mist cologne.

"I know this scent," she said, sniffing, "Shikamaru always used this cologne!" Then, she smiled. "Oh yeah… The shoe polish…" She searched different places to find the shoe polisher Sakura asked her to get. She opened one door… "Whoops… Bathroom." Then, she opened a drawer… "Hmmm-HUH? Awwww! These are pictures of Shikamaru when he was just a kid!" She looked and looked at each picture until she came across a picture with Shikamaru and a cute blonde girl beside him. "Hey… I remember this picture!" She then began reminiscing on that moment when she and Shikamaru first met…

"_Ino, honey, there's someone I want to introduce you to!"_

"_Sure, Daddy! Who is it?"_

"_Ino, this is my best friend's son. Say hello to Shikamaru!"_

"_Shika-what?"_

_It was years ago when the two of them first met. They were so cute. Ino had a huge clip on her hair, while Shikamaru was frowning at her because she kept on making fun of his ponytail…_

"_HEEY! STOP PULLING!"_

"_But your hair's messy! I wanna fix it up!"_

"_You're not fixing it! You're DESTROYING IT, you HAG!"_

"_HAG? WHY YOU…"_

"_Huh? Wait-stop! No! Don't hurt me, please!"_

_WHAPPACK!_

"_Hey! What was that for?"_

"_That's for calling me a hag, you idiot!"_

Ino continued skimming through the portraits and found the picture of her and Shikamaru in the Ninja Academy… "Ah, our first day in school…"

"_Shikamaru, who's that?"_

"_Who? This? Oh, Ino, I'd like you to meet a new friend of mine. This is Choji from the Akimichi clan!"_

"_Hello!"_

"_Uhh… Hi."_

"_Ino, if you don't mind, Choji and I'll be over there, talking…"_

"_But what about me, Shikamaru?"_

"_Don't know, don't care!"_

"_Grrr…"_

_POW!_

"_Stop hitting me already!"_

"_Never! Neveeeerrrr!"_

"_Smile, kids!"_

_FLASH!_

"I was such a violent little girl, back then! I'm starting to feel sorry for Shikamaru!"

"Ino! Have you gotten the shoe polish yet?"

"HUH! Sorry, Sakura! I'll keep finding it!"

Ino quickly put the pictures back in the drawer and opened a huge closet next…

"Hey! This is Shikamaru's wardrobe… Ooh, what's this?"

She spotted a box that sat under one of Shikamaru's suits. It was a plain cardboard box. Ino, full of curiosity, brought it out and opened it. She gasped when she saw what was inside.

"This is… This is…"

The box was full of old things… Shikamaru's old forehead protector, his old ninja sandals, his chuunin vest, his net shirt, his kunais and shuriken… Everything he had during the ninja days were in that box. Then, Ino spotted another picture turned upside down inside the box. "I wonder whose picture this is…" she said. When she flipped it over, there was a picture of her- back in the ninja days, doing a sexy pose. It was as if Shikamaru was spying on her to take a picture of her. She blushed, looking at the picture… "This is me! How could he have…"

"INO! SHOE POLISH!"

Then, she saw Shikamaru's shoes under the closet and the shoe polish was there, too. She quickly returned the picture and the box into the closet and closed it. She rushed downstairs, holding the shoe polish and said, "I've got it!"

"Good," Sakura said, "Start polishing! Shikamaru and Sasuke might arrive soon. Help her, okay, Hinata?"

"Uh-sure!"

"Heheh… Just a few more knits and this scarf'll be finished!"


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17- Here it is… **

"Okay! I'm finally done with it! Wanna see?"

"Sure!"

Sakura proudly flashed the scarf in front of Ino and Hinata and left them amazed. "Wow! It's unbelievable you can actually knit a scarf _that _fast, Sakura!" Ino exclaimed, "You rock!" Sakura giggled and said, "Thanks, Ino."

Then, Sakura put the scarf around Ino's graceful neck and admired the creation she had made. "Ah… It's one of the best designs I've made!" she said proudly, "Shikamaru would _never _be able to resist you now!" Ino blushed, and started playing with her fingers…

"Hey! That's _mine, _Ino!" Hinata laughed, "You copycat!"

Ino didn't say anything; she just laughed along until the doorbell rang.

"Quick! Get upstairs!" Sakura whispered, "I want some drama in presenting my latest creation to Shikamaru!"

"Um, okay!" Ino replied, walking up the stairs.

Sakura quickly fixed her hair and wiped the sweat off her forehead. Then, she flattened her skirt and exhaled. She straightened Hinata's shirt as well and went outside to open the gates. Shikamaru, Sasuke and Naruto were standing outside. "Oh! Back from the bar, I suppose." She said. As soon as she saw Naruto, Hinata blushed deep red and started playing with her fingers again… "K-k-komban wa, Hokage-sama!" Man, her face was SO RED… Naruto just cluelessly stared at her and replied, "Ya know, you _could _just call me 'Naruto', Hinata… I'm not used to you calling me 'Hokage-sama', you see… It's just so unusual!"

"Um, okay! I-if that is what you want!"

Leaving that behind, Sakura eagerly walked up to Shikamaru and asked, "Well, would you like to see it?"

Shikamaru scratched his head and replied, "Huh? See what?"

"You know!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Honestly, Sakura, I really don't know what you're talking about!"

Sakura growled and answered, "Would you like Ino to continue wearing those sexy, revealing clothes?"

Shikamaru suddenly stepped back and shouted, "Heck no! Okay! Okay! I remember now! Sure, let's see the outfit you've designed."

Sakura smirked and rubbed her hands together. "Heheheh… You'll love the clothes I made for her, Shikamaru!"

"Show me and impress me." Shikamaru answered.

"Ino!" Sakura called, "You can come down now!"

Shikamaru's attention was focused on the stairs, waiting for Ino to walk down, showing off the wonderful work Sakura has done. He stared and stared until finally, a beautiful blonde woman walked down the steps wearing a long purple scarf and a cute outfit. Shikamaru was dazzled and at that moment, couldn't take his eyes off her. He was devastated by her beauty, and captivated by the shy smile she gave him. He was sweating, partially blushing and his heart was throbbing. As soon as she reached the floor, Shikamaru appointed Sakura and complimented, "Sakura… This… This work of yours is… It's amazing! How can I ever repay you?"

Sakura laughed and gave out a smile. "You don't have to pay me anything; just make sure you take good care of Ino… And those clothes as well! I worked really hard on that! Remember, the jacket she's wearing is dry clean only!"

"S-sure." Shikamaru smiled, "I'll take care of everything, I promise." Then, he turned to face Ino and said, "Ino… You look wonderful."

"You really think so?" Ino asked, blushing.

"Yes." Shikamaru replied, "Now we can finally get rid of the strippers-wear you used to have. Then, I'll take you shopping tomorrow so we can get you some more clothes. Then, maybe I'll even find you a new job!"

"A job?" Sakura asked, "Well, I _do _need someone to help me out and I'm pretty sure Ino would be just the girl for the job!"

"Really?" Shikamaru asked, "What do you need? An assistant designer? A photographer?"

"No," Sakura replied, "I need a model to show-off my creative ideas! Look at her in my beautiful, dazzling design! Don't you think she'd be suited for a model?"

"Well…" Naruto answered, "Ino _does _have the body! She's had it since those days when we were ninjas!"

Ino started to blush once again upon hearing those comments. Shikamaru then, turned to her and said, "If it'll make Ino happy, sure. Why not?"

Ino smiled and said, "I'd love to be your model, Sakura!"

Sakura smiled back and said, "I'm glad you accepted the offer! There's a shooting this weekend! You could come over to my place and model. I'll have you try on some new designs, okay?"

"Sure!" Ino replied, smiling. Shikamaru was also smiling at her, making her turn away and blush.

"Well," Sasuke said, looking at his watch, "It's getting late. Naruto-sama still has some reports to sign…"

"Reports?" Naruto asked, "What reports?"

"Those reports that are piled up on your desk, Naruto-sama." Sasuke replied, "And there are some stacked up in the other room, too."

"WHAAAAAAT! Nooo… Sasuke, gimme a break!"

"I'm terribly sorry, dear hokage-sama, but it's my duty to advise you to do your work…"

"Waaah! You're no fun, Sasuke!"

"Then, in that case, we better get going! I'll see you on Saturday, okay, Ino?"

"Sure! Bye, Sakura! And thanks for everything!"

"Sayonara, people!"

"Bye, Naruto. Bye, Sasuke. Bye, Sakura. Bye, Hinata."

"Buh-bye!"

"Smell you guys soon."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18- Tripping…**

"Ino, I'll be upstairs taking my shower, okay?"

"Okay!"

Ino was once again, left alone. She continued looking at herself in the mirror, flaunting the skirt and the scarf Sakura had made for her. She was happy. After she looked at herself, she went upstairs and got inside the bathroom that was inside the room Shikamaru had given her the other day. After taking everything off, she hung them on hangers to be worn the following day. She stepped inside the shower room and turned the shower on. It was warm and it felt so good. After a hard day, it's always relaxing to bathe with warm water. It gives a nice, invigorating feeling, doesn't it?

"Ahhh… This feels so good." She sighed, "This warm water relaxes me so much! It's like I'm in the hot spring!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Ino asked, surprised.

"It's me, Shikamaru."

"Whaddya need?"

"Could I have some shampoo? I ran out of it, ya see…"

"Coming!"

Quickly, Ino wrapped the towel around her body and unlocked the door. Shikamaru came inside and said, "The warn water's quite relaxing, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is." Ino replied.

After Shikamaru got the bottle of shampoo, he walked towards the door. As Ino walked with him to close the door, she suddenly slipped and fell on him. The towel flew off and she was naked… Shikamaru still has _his _towel on, though, wrapped around his torso… His chest was bare! "Ah!" Ino screamed, "I'm so sorry!" Blood suddenly started flying from Shikamaru's nostrils. His face was red; he couldn't say a word. Suddenly, Choji came in and saw them.

"WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU TWO DOING? YOU GUYS MAKIN' LOVE? WAAAAH!"

"Choji? How'd you get here? Wait- why _are _you here, anyway?"

"That ain't important, Ino… Now, please tell me… WHAT _ARE _YOU GUYS DOING?"

"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!"

Choji's eye began to twitch. "I'm keeping my eyes on you…" he said, then walked out the door. Ino and Shikamaru were still speechless, until Shikamaru finally said, "Ino… Y-you're heavy… Get off me, will'ya?"

"Sorry!"

Quickly, she got off his (hot) body and wrapped the towel around her. Shikamaru stood up, cleared his throat, wiped the blood off his nose and said, "Um, thanks for the shampoo…" Then, he walked out the door. Ino immediately locked it up and fell onto the floor. "Did that really just happen? DAMN! Choji _had _to see the two of us! DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT!"


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19- Choji gives advice…**

Meanwhile, in Shikamaru's room…

"Hey, hotshot! What just happened there, huh?"

"What? CHOJI? What are _you _doing in my room?"

"Oh, I'm sorry; were you expecting someone else? …like Ino, perhaps?"

"Huh? Just a minute, there! You don't actually think…"

"…that you like her and wanna screw her? Yes! That's _exactly _what I think, Shikamaru! You've been acting quite differently since she came back into the picture."

"No, I haven't. I'm still the corrupt, lazy lawyer."

Choji suddenly kept silent, crossed his arms and frowned at Shikamaru. "Stop denying! You like Ino!" he said.

"I'm not denying anything, Choji." Shikamaru replied, turning the knob of his bathroom, "You can even diagnose me… Then, you'll finally understand that I _do not _have any feelings for that girl. I just wanna help her out and make up for how rude I was back when we were little…"

"You're still rude now!"

"No, I'm not! Hey, maybe _you're _the one who likes Ino! I mean, since you're always talking about the damn woman… And you're using me instead…"

"Huh? Now, why the hell would I do something like that, eh, Shikamaru?"

"It's normal! People sometimes use other people to hide their feelings for someone."

"Well, this, I'm telling you: I DO NOT LOVE INO! Finished!"

"Yes, you do."

"No, I DO NOT!"

"Yes… You looove Ino, don't you? Don't you just wanna hug her?"

"NO! STOP DOING THAT!"

"Good. Now, you know how annoying it is. I'll be in here, taking a nice shower, okay?"

Slowly, Shikamaru shut the door. Choji was quietly sitting on his bed when he suddenly decided to go back to Ino's room and talk to her. He stood, up and walked to Ino's room, hoping she'd finally be done bathing.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Who is it?" asked Ino.

"It's me, Choji!" Choji replied, "Can I come in?"

"WHADDYA NEED NOW?" Ino screamed, "If you're here to blackmail me for the thing you just saw a few moments ago, don't even bother coming in at all!"

Choji gulped for a moment, then, answered, "Don't worry, I'm not _that _evil! I just wanna talk!...

After all, we haven't been seeing each other in years… I think it's a good idea we talk. Whaddya say?"

Slowly, Ino opened the door. She shyly looked at Choji in her sleepwear, (still strippers' clothing: a tiny see-thru white dress with underwear underneath). Choji tried his best not to think maliciously and went inside. He sat down on Ino's bed. "Hmmm, nice room you've got here!" he said, "Shikamaru must care for you a lot, Ino! Heheheh…"

Ino said nothing; she just kept blushing and looked away. "Why even bother discussing about a person who's not even here?" she said coldly, "He's just trying to look good. He's not doing this for the sake of helping me, you know…" Then, she sighed, "I don't think he feels anything special as he's doing this!"

Choji smiled at her and asked, "You really like him, don't you?"

"Huh? Like who?" Ino asked, scratching her head.

"Who else?" Choji replied, "I'm talking about Shikamaru, of course! I just noticed you're acting kinda different when you're with him or when you're talking about him."

Ino kept silent and continued to look away. "It's none of your business, Choji." She said, "Quit messing with other people's businesses; it's annoyingly rude."

"I'm truly sorry," Choji replied, "But I believe it _is _my business as well! You two are my best friends in the whole world… I'd give anything to help you with your love problems." Then, he stood up and gently placed his hand on Ino's shoulder and said, "You can talk to me about it, if you want. I'll keep it confidential! Everything that comes out of your mouth is secret-safe with me, Ino! I promise, as a gentleman, as a responsible adult and as a friend whom you've known for many years."

Ino looked at him, then looked away again. "This world has changed. I've had a hard life over the years." She said, "And during all of those years living alone, I learned that you couldn't trust anybody."

Choji was struck by these words. He sighed deeply and replied, "You know, you should change that way of believing, Ino."

"Say what?"

"Life… Isn't at all full of darkness. It doesn't always have to have suffering. Sure, it may seem dark and cold at times, but you'd also have to learn to look for the brighter side of life! You should look for people whom you can cherish and share your ideas with. There are always people in this world who'd listen to your stories and help, you know. Take Shikamaru, for example! You lost everything- your job, your apartment unit… You were left in total darkness… It was as if you were a prisoner chained up in a dark, cold pit. Then, a shining light comes and forms into a mysterious figure… He reaches out his hand to you and frees you from darkness…"

"Shockingly, this isn't making me feel any better."

"Sigh. You should know that this life should be worth living. You only have one shot at this, you know. So, why not make the most out of it? God put you here for a reason. Yes, there are trials and battles in life. But you can only overcome these trials if you search for the brighter side of life. You must never think that you're alone. Of all the million people in this planet, select those you can travel with on your journey- they will be your loyal sidekicks who are ready to support you."

Ino still wasn't convinced. She still kept quiet, trying to ignore Choji as much as possible.

Choji sighed. Sadly, he said, "Okay… If you don't wanna listen, fine. But one day you'll realize everything I just said isn't at all garbage." As he headed out the door, he paused for a while and added, "If you wanna talk to me about anything at all, I'd gladly listen."

He finally walked out. Ino was left alone in her room, standing in one corner. Suddenly, Choji's wise words circled in her mind… They were finally taking effect…

"_Life… Isn't at all full of darkness. It doesn't always have to have suffering. Sure, it may seem dark and cold at times, but you'd also have to learn to look for the brighter side of life!"_

"_You should look for people whom you can cherish and share your ideas with. There are always people in this world who'd listen to your stories and help, you know."_

"_Yes, there are trials and battles in life. But you can only overcome these trials if you search for the brighter side of life. You must never think that you're alone. Of all the million people in this planet, select those you can travel with on your journey- they will be your loyal sidekicks who are ready to support you."_

As she reflected, she soon realized how right her friend was. Her heart was moved by his good advice. "Thanks, Choji…" she whispered, "You're a pal!" Quickly, she dashed outside the room and ran down the stairs. "Choji! Wait! I think I can talk to you now."

Choji stopped and closed the door. He took his shoes off, turned to face Ino, walked to her and said, "Good! That's just what I wanted to hear from you. Alright! Where do you wanna talk?"

"Maybe somewhere that's cold, quiet and peaceful." Ino replied, "The garden sounds good enough."

"Okay! The garden it is, then!"

The two walked to the back door, slid it open (it was a sliding glass door… Man, Shikamaru's so rich!), and walked outside. The air smelled like rain. It was partially cold outside, with droplets of rain on the leaves of plants and branches. The sky was very dark. Clouds were covering everything, though some stars can still be seen. Ino sniffed the cold air and exhaled slowly. Winter was indeed coming. The frosty air was starting to come.

"So… What do you wanna talk about?"

Ino faced him, blushed and said, "Well… I, um…"

"You what?" Choji asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Ino replied, "I _do _like Shikamaru… Sometimes, I'm not sure whether I only like him, or love him. I know I blush whenever I see him and I'm actually starting to like it when he teases me and drives me crazy. It's a weird feeling that I can't understand!"

"I see what you mean!" Choji smiled, "Confusing, huh? Doesn't it make you wanna run crazy?"

"Yes, it does." Ino replied, slightly turning red, "It hurts when he ignores me."

"Then, if that's the feeling, I say you're in love with him, Ino."

"What? In love?"

"Yup!" Choji answered, grinning, "You know, like in those romantic films, they would always say phrases like, _'I've never felt this way before', _or _'It sometimes hurts when he doesn't notice me; it's as if I'm not even here,' _or _'I'm confused; I don't know how I feel.'_ Since you feel that way, I think it could be love!"

Ino blushed, gasped and looked away. "Choji, are you sure?"

"I'm positive!" he answered, "There's no doubt it's love!"

Ino sighed deeply, feeling her heart throb as the seconds passed. Suddenly, a strong gush of wind blew. She quickly wrapped her arms around herself.

"Are you feeling cold?" Choji asked.

"Yes, well, kinda." Ino replied, shivering.

"Here, put this on!" Choji said, placing his jacket on Ino's shoulders. It was a huge dark green jacket made from denim. It felt warm, Ino liked the feeling very much.

"This jacket is very nice…" Ino said, closing her eyes, "It's so warm!"

"Thanks! Sakura made it for me." Choji replied, "She's a fashion genius nowadays, ya know."

"Yes, I know. She made me something just today."

"Is that so? That's nice…"

"I never thought she'd actually become _this _good at something,"

"Yeah, I thought so too. She once told me that George was her idol! She said he inspired her to make really nice clothes."

"_George?_"

"Huh? Oh, you probably don't know him! He's from another show, you see… Ever heard of Paradise Kiss?"

**AUTHOR'S COMMENT: Parakiss! Parakiss! I LOOOVE PARAKISS! George is so amazing by the way he designs outfits! What's more exciting is how he sexes Yukari up! That guy never fails to amaze me with those slick moves… Such wonderful, passionate, sexy gestures! And Arashi… OOH! I love rock 'n' roll fanatics! They rock my world! Asian Kung-fu Generation rocks! Gotou Masafumi! WAAAAH! Heavy Metal shall rule!**

_**Okay, back to the story…**_

Ino and Choji were alone in the garden… Standing side by side… Ino was wearing Choji's jacket… The two of them were talking…

"The two of you look so cute together."

"Nani?"

There, behind them, on the steps, stood Shikamaru in a net shirt and green boxers… (He loves GREEN!)

"Don't get any ideas!" Ino said, "He just lent me his jacket, is that such a crime?"

Shikamaru shrugged and smirked at her.

"Don't you dare smirk at me like… Like that!"

Suddenly, Choji noticed how late it was getting. "Oh well, look at the time! I better get going." He headed back in. "You can give me my jacket back tomorrow when I come over, okay?"

"O-okay." Ino replied.

"See you guys!" Choji said as he waved at his two friends. Then, he winked at Ino. She blushed, then smiled at him. Finally, Choji walked out the door.

"Akimichi has left the building… Finally." Shikamaru said, "Okay, tell me what happened. What did you do?"

"We… We did nothing!" Ino said, blushing, "We were only talking, that's all!"

"Uh-huh, and the jacket?"

"I was feeling cold so he lent it to me! You got a problem with that, bub?"

Without an answer, Shikamaru yawned and said, "Goodnight, Ino! See you when the sun says 'hello!' Buh-bye!"

"Hey!" Ino yelled, frustrated, "Don't walk out on me like that, you lazy freako!"

"But I'm sleepy!" Shikamaru replied, "You can start making my life miserable again when the daytime comes…"

"Haaargh…"

"And once again, _Komban wa, baka…"_

With that, Shikamaru walked up to his room and lay down on his comfy bed. Though Ino's veins bulged in frustration, her heart felt like leaping for joy… After a while, she stopped growling and smiled. Then, she went upstairs and went to bed.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20- Shopping and Meeting Old Friends…**

Morning finally came… As Shikamaru got up from bed and yawned, Ino came into his room, already dressed up. She was wearing the clothes that Sakura had made her. "Let's go! Let's go!" she said, raising her arms. "What?" Shikamaru yawned, "Already? But I just got up and I still have to eat breakfast… Plus, I need to take a bath!" Ino frowned, then said, "Make it quick!" "Okay! Okay!" Shikamaru said, limping over downstairs, "Sheesh! Women…"

After everything had been taken care of, Shikamaru dressed up in a loose, white cotton shirt and jeans. As he looked at himself in the mirror, Ino snuck up on him and said, "Wow! You're quite casual today,"

"Tch." He smirked, "Suits aren't the only things I wear, y'know."

After he finally put his shoes on, he and Ino walked downstairs. He got his car keys, opened the door and went outside with Ino. Outside, was his black Ferrari… "WOW! A FERRARI! YOU'RE SO RICH!" Ino exclaimed. "Don't worry," Shikamaru said, "Someday, you'll be just as rich. Just learn to love your work."

Ino smiled and said, "Thanks for the advice!" Then, the two of them hopped inside the vehicle. Shikamaru took the driver's seat, of course and Ino sat on the seat beside him. He put the keys in, started the engine, checked the mirror and put the seatbelt on. "It'll take us five minutes, okay?" he said. Then, he started driving. Ino was enjoying the ride, looking at everything outside her window. She was admiring the bright, sunny outside. The sun was shining brightly, it made her happy. The trees were so green and the streets were full of people walking to work.

"I didn't realize Konoha could be _this _exciting early in the morning!" Ino exclaimed happily, "It's so bright and sunny today!"

"You happy?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yes, I'm very happy!" she answered, smiling, "I'm very happy I met you, Shikamaru! I'm thankful you took me in! I'm so glad I'm out of that bar! I swear I'm never going to strip again! The world is so beautiful, I shouldn't miss it…"

"Good." Shikamaru said, "I'm glad you said that. Do that. Forget about your past and make way for a better future, Ino. I can see you living a happy life a few years from now… Being a successful model, earning lots of money, finding the 'right one', getting married, having kids…"

"Okay, you're going a little _too _far, Shikamaru!"

"Sorry. Sigh… Ino, once you finally have children of your own, take good care of them. And introduce them to me, okay? I'd love to see how your kids would look like!"

"Shi-Shikamaru…"

Ino started to blush. She looked down and smiled. Suddenly, Shikamaru pulled over and said, "Okay! We're here!" Quickly, he turned off the engine. They got off the car. Shikamaru locked the door. "Okay, shall we go in?" he asked. "Sure!" Ino said, hugging his arm. Shikamaru slightly blushed, but acted as if nothing happened. On their way in, they saw three very familiar-looking people. One was a tall man in a white polo, with long, brown hair tied in a ponytail. He had white eyes and a serious, calm personality. Beside him was a woman with brown hair. She wore a Chinese-style dress. The third person was a funny-looking happy fella with black hair and a fringe cut. He had big, round eyes and thick eyebrows.

"The Hyuuga clan's white eyes…" Shikamaru whispered.

"I've seen that woman somewhere before, I know it!" Ino whispered back.

Then, the both of them said, "And those thick, bushy eyebrows are so familiar… It's obviously him…"

Suddenly, the one with thick eyebrows waved to them and ran to them calling out, "Shikamaru! Ino!"

"I've definitely seen this guy somewhere before…" Ino said, "Now, what was his name again?..."

"Hey! It's so nice to see you guys again! Remember me?"

Shikamaru and Ino stared at him for a few moments. "Yes, the fringe and the eyebrows _do _ring a bell…" Shikamaru said, "You can't possibly be Rock Lee, can you?"

"Yup, this is me!" said Lee, doing the nice guy pose, "And these two wonderful people with me are no other than Hyuuga Neji and _Mrs. _Hyuuga Tenten." He said, giving emphasis to the name.

"Mrs. Hyuuga, huh?" Ino said, "Congratulations, Tenten! I knew the two of you would end up together someday!"

Tenten blushed and replied, "Thanks! You're Ino, right?"

"Yup!"

"I remember you from the old days…" Tenten said, "You and Sakura used to fight over Sasuke a lot! My, my look at how the years passed! We're all grown up now, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are." Ino said, giggling.

"So, what are you two doing here?" Lee asked, "You guys on a date or somethin'?"

Ino and Shikamaru suddenly blushed. Ino looked away, while Shikamaru guffawed and said, "A date? No thanks. I'm just here to take her shopping, that's all."

"Shopping?" Neji said, curiously, "It looks more like a date to me…"

"HEY!" Shikamaru yelled, "Just because you're married doesn't mean you can make fun of me, Hyuuga-boy!"

"I'm not making fun of you," Neji replied, "I just thought…"

"Why're you taking her shopping if you hate her so much, then?" Lee asked.

"It's a long story, so please don't ask…" Shikamaru replied, rubbing his finger into his left ear. Then, he asked, "How about you? What are _you_ guys doing here? Did'ya attend another freaks' party?"

"NO!" Lee answered, "Neji had to submit his story to the editors today, Tenten had to buy stuff from the grocery, while I came to buy a present for good ol' Gai-sensei!"

"So you _are _still seeing that guy…" Ino said, "How sweet! How is he?"

"He's fine!" Lee replied, "He's living a happy life! He still hasn't found himself a girlfriend, though… But hey! Who needs love when he's already got me? That's what he said!"

Ino smiled. Shikamaru sighed and said, "Lucky for you. How I wish I can see Asuma again… I kinda miss that guy! I wonder how he's doing…"

"You wanna pay him a visit?" Tenten asked, "I have his address here, y'know!"

"You… You do?" Shikamaru said, "SHOW ME!"

"Okay, wait a minute!" Tenten said, digging into her purse. After a few seconds, she brought out a small piece of paper. "Here,"

She handed it to Shikamaru. Shikamaru unfolded it and read what it said: _Sarutobi Asuma- Unit 52, Moonlight Drive, Konoha._

"Thanks for the address, Tenten." He said, "I'll pay him a visit one of these days. I hope the guy's alright."

"I'll visit him with you, too!" Ino said, "You're not the only one who misses him, Shikamaru. Oh, and let's bring Choji along with us!"

Suddenly, something started beeping. It was Neji's cell phone… "Hello? … Ah, yes, Jiraiya-sama! I submitted the story today… Uh-huh, m-hm, … okay… Okay, okay, bye… Huh? What? WHADDYA MEAN 'ADD MORE SEX SCENES?' …fine! Okay! …I'll put some in the next volume… Okay, okay, bye."

"Jiraiya?" Shikamaru said, "You work for _that _perverted old guy? Geez… He's already in his late 60's and he's _still _that perverted freak? Man…"

"He's my editor." Neji replied, putting the phone back into his pocket, "I became a writer, you see."

"Oh, I see…"

"Well, we have to get going! I wouldn't want Gai-sensei to wait for me too long!"

"Okay, we'll see ya."

"Bye!"


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21- Buy me this, buy me that!**

With the three finally leaving, Shikamaru and Ino start their shopping journey!

_**okay, what a term! 'Shopping journey…'**_

"Let's look here for some casual outfits…" Shikamaru suggested. Quickly, Ino ran inside the store and started picking out some outfits.

"I'll take this one, and this one, and this one, and…"

"…um, Ino, we _still _have to buy you some winter clothes, sleepwear, a bathing suit and gulp, some underwear as well…"

"Huh? Well, you're rich, aren't you? You could pay for everything!"

"Haha. Very funny."

**Next stop: Frosty Paradise_ (for some winter clothes…)_**

"Do you like this one?"

"Yes! That jacket is just lovely! I'll take it!"

"How about this orange scarf?"

"OH, HOW CUTE! Sure, sure…"

"These boots?"

"Are you kidding? Yes!"

**Optical Express _(for fashionable eyewear…)_**

"That pair seems to look quite good on you!"

"HUH? Are you sure? Pink is more of Sakura's color…"

"Okay, how 'bout his one?"

"Hmmm… Okay! I think it matches my eyes!"

"Okay, I'll just get my credit card and… Ino?"

"Why not get a pair for you too, Shikamaru? Here! I picked this one out for you!"

"Does… Does it look good on me?"

"Yeah! It adds up to your hotness factor!"

"Then, in that case, I'll take it!"

**Nighty-nights _(for cute and comfortable sleepwear…)_**

"OOH! The one with those pink teddy bears looks cute!"

"But I thought pink was Sakura's color!"

"I want it!"

"Okay… What else?"

"I'd like this green one, too! It could match up with your green boxers!"

"Nani? Okay…"

"This purple one with hearts! I want this!"

"Haargh…"

**Hot Heels _(for pretty, sexy sandals…)_**

"Hmmm, I'd usually prefer those ones with laces…"

"_Still _into sexy things, Ino?"

"Well, yeah, if I wanna seduce you…"

"Tch. Whatever. What colors would you want?"

"Hmmm… Black, purple, blue, red, orange, green, pink…"

"But you said pink was Sakura's color!"

"I WANT IT! And YOU'RE GONNA GET IT FOR ME!"

"Okay! Okay!"

**And finally, for the moment we've all been waiting for, Underwear shopping…**

SHIKAMARU: Uh, I'm not so sure about this… Maybe I should just stay outside!

INO: Aw, come on! Who's gonna tell me if it looks good on me or not?

SHIKAMARU: Ask the saleslady! I'm not a pervert, so stop trying!

INO: (Sigh) Okay…

After everything had been taken care of, Shikamaru and Ino go back to the parking lot and into the car. "That was one heck of a shopping trip…" Shikamaru sighed, exhausted, "I'll sleep one I get home!"

"You deserve it!" Ino said, smiling, "You bought me a lot! I owe you, Shikamaru!"

"Hell, yeah you do!"

Then, Shikamaru started the engine, and off they went, back to his place.


	22. Chapter 22

**Dear readers,**

**I am terribly sorry for the delay… I've been REALLY busy these past few days that I haven't had any time to update this fic. I attended an important event in Bicol the past week and I had to take my exams a few days ago. And NOW, my younger sister deleted my file in my Naruto game! So now, I have to start all over again! And just when I'd already unlocked the fourth jutsu… Sigh. She's probably just jealous she still hasn't been able to defeat Shikamaru, so there. She deleted my file. And now, the damn game doesn't wanna save anything anymore! Darn it… I am so frustrated… It makes me wanna throw kunais at her… But hey, I must be good to my siblings, so I'll try to keep it cool for the meantime… There's more to life than gaming, well, for me, at least… There're my fanfics in my dream to become a famous manga artist, oh and yes, of course, my girlfriend! Heheh, just kidding! I don't have one… I'm a really busy guy, as I always say, so please try to understand why I can't accomplish my tasks ASAP… I hope there wouldn't be anymore delays 'cause honestly, I can't wait for this fic to end! I wanna start a new one! Thanks!**

**-SK ;-)**

**P.S. Hataw Hanep Hero 2006 coming this November! Watch Hero TV! Yeah… Yes, I advertise!**

**P.P.S. Again, I DO NOT have a girlfriend… Haha. No, I'm not gay either. Ü**

**Chapter 22- Sensei…**

Driving hastily, Shikamaru couldn't wait to get home. Ino was also tired, but that didn't stop her from smiling. Suddenly, Ino remembered something… As they passed the streets, she saw a sign labeled, _Moonlight Drive._

"Moonlight Drive…" she muttered to herself, "Asuma-sensei!" Quickly, Shikamaru pulled-over. The tires screeched… SCREEEECH!

"What?" Shikamaru asked.

"This is Moonlight Drive!" Ino answered, "Asuma-sensei lives here! It said so in the piece of paper Tenten gave us!" "Really?" Shikamaru said, getting the paper from his pocket, "Ah, yes! Unit 52, Moonlight Drive… Wanna pay him a visit?"

"Of course I would!" Ino replied, "I miss him so much!"

"Alrightie, then! Let's get off this baby!"

Quickly, the two got off the car and walked straight into the village. Suddenly, a familiar-looking security guard approached them and asked, "Excuse me, sir, ma'am, but which unit will you be visiting?"

"Oh, um… We were wondering if Sarutobi Asuma was here." Shikamaru said, "We're here to pay him a visit, you see."

"Oh. Were the two of you former students of his?" the guard asked.

Ino saw his ID and read it…

"YOU'RE IBIKI? OH MY GOD!"

Quickly, the guard brought out a gun. "Shut up," he said, "Don't say my name! Wait- do I know you?"

"Man, you're so old…" Ino said, with a scum look on her face, "Look at all those wrinkles! Tsk, tsk, tsk…"

"Ibiki? Really?" Shikamaru asked. He bent down to look at the ID. "Man, it _is _Ibiki! Hey, do you remember us?"

"Uh, urrr… Being here to visit Asuma, you must be his former students… Wait, don't tell me…"

"I was the lazy one, back then!"

"Thinking…"

"Yeah, and I was the awfully cute one!"

"Hmmm…"

"Choji was our other teammate!"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Choji sprang into the scene with a big "HELLOOOO!"

"Choji?" Shikamaru yelled, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well," Choji explained, "I was walking from the convenience store and saw you two!" Then, he looked at the guard standing right in front of them. "Wait… I know you! You're that guy from the Academy, right?"

Suddenly, Ibiki remembered. "Yes, I've definitely seen that lazy look years ago… And that flashy smile and the blonde hair… And who could forget that fat kid? I know you three! You're Ino-Shika-Cho, right?"

"Yup! That's us!" Choji exclaimed, holding up a big flag with 'Ino-Shika-Cho' written on it, "The clans shall live on!"

"Quiet down, Choji…"

"Okay, now that I know you," Ibiki replied, "You may now go in. I can trust those who have been ninjas before. Asuma's in unit 52…"

SHIKAMARU: Thanks, Ibiki.

CHOJI: Yeah, you rock, dude!

INO: Apply cream on those wrinkles, okay?

The three walked inside the subdivision. It was a quiet place. People were either at work or too busy inside the house.

"Hey," Choji began, "What are you guys doing here, anyway?"

"Why even bother joining us if you don't even know exactly why Ino and I are here?" Shikamaru answered.

"Are you guys trying to avoid me? So you can be alone together?" Choji asked.

"Shut up," Shikamaru answered, mussing Choji's hair, "For the final time, INO AND I ARE NOT DATING, YA HEAR?"

Ino laughed a bit, then answered Choji's question. "We're here to visit Asuma-sensei, Choji. It's kinda good you're here! I'm pretty sure the old guy'd be happy to see the three of us altogether!"

"M-hm, I agree with you, Ino!"

"Unit 52… Unit 52… Where the heck is unit 52…" Shikamaru mumbled, trying to look for a wooden door with a big number 52 on it. He looked as they passed by the many houses. "52… 52… HEY, are you guys gonna help me, or what?"

"Whoops, sorry…"

The three looked and looked until finally, there it was, unit 52… "Ah… Here it is," Shikamaru said, "Now, all we have to do is ring the doorbell, and…"

Before he could push the doorbell, a beautiful lady with wavy, black hair answered the door. "Oh!" she said, "Are you Asuma's friends?"

"Wait…" Choji said, "I've seen this lady before!"

Then, a guy with a beard walked beside the woman and said, "Honey, who are these?"

"THAT'S ASUMA-SENSEI!" Choji yelled, "I KNOW THAT BEARD!"

"Huh?" The guy said, "Do I know you?"

Then, quickly, Choji grabbed his flag and yelled, "Ino-Shika-Cho!"

"Ino-Shika-Cho?" Asuma said, "Wait… _You guys _are my students from years ago? My, my, look at how much you've grown… Come inside! Make yourselves comfortable."

The three went inside. It was a cozy home. There, hanging on the walls, were pictures of Asuma and the lady together. "Asuma-sensei, did you get married?" Ino asked.

"What?" Asuma replied, "Didn't you know it was Kurenai I tied the knot with?"

INO-SHIKA-CHO: NANI?

"Kurenai?" Choji yelled, "You mean Kiba's teacher? Whoah…"

Then, a little girl came out of her room and said, "Daddy! I need some help in fixing my toys, please!"

"Daddy?" Shikamaru murmured, "Don't tell me…"

Quickly, Asuma put the little girl on his lap and said, "Have you met my daughter, Hikaru? Most probably not… I mean, since we just met today…"

"Mommy, who are these people?"

"They're your father's old students, dear!"

"Old students? But they don't look _that _old!"

CHOJI: Such a cutie y'are! I'm uncle Choji!

SHIKAMARU: Stop it, you're scaring her.

CHOJI: AM NOT!

HIKARU: Heheh… You're funny! I like you!

CHOJI: See? She likes me!

KURENAI: Okay, Hikaru! Let's clean your toys up before anyone crashes into them, okay?

HIKARU: Okay, mommy! walks to her room with Kurenai

"A daughter?" Shikamaru asked, "How old?"

"She's already three." Asuma replied, "She'll start studying next year… Sadly, she wouldn't be learning the ways of the shinobi like we did when _we _were much younger… It's kinda sad the ninja years have gone away like sand…"

"Sand?" Choji gasped, "Gaara…"

"Asuma-sensei, your daughter is really cute! She looks very much like Kurenai-sensei." Ino said, "I wish I'd have a daughter just as cute as her!"

"Man, you guys sure got busy…" Shikamaru muttered, "Naughty, naughty, naughty…"

"Shut up," Asuma laughed, hitting Shikamaru with his elbow, "It's normal! People get married and have kids! Probably, you and Ino will too!"

Suddenly, the two of them started to blush again.

"WHY DOES EVERYBODY THINK THE SAME WAY? Damn!"

Ino just said nothing, instead she stared blankly into space… Choji noticed she was acting quite shy whenever people made statements about her and Shikamaru. He remained silent, but giggled quite a bit seeing his two friends giving weird reactions. Shikamaru was screaming wildly into Asuma's ear…

"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT ME AND INO ARE GONNA GET MARRIED? I'M JUST HELPING HER OUT AS A FRIEND!"

"Yeah, right…"

"Don't 'yeah right' me, mister…"

"I am your teacher and therefore, you must respect me!"

"Um, correction, WAS my teacher! I'm an adult now!"

"YOU STILL HAVE TO RESPECT ME!"

"OKAY! OKAY!"

Suddenly, Choji butted in and asked, "Now that we know where Asuma-sensei is, do you have any idea where the other senseis are?"

"Other senseis?" Ino said.

"Yeah," Choji replied, "You know, like Naruto and Sasuke's mysterious sensei…"

"You mean Kakashi, right?" Asuma said, "He works with Jiraiya in the Icha-Icha stuff."

"Iruka-sensei?"

"He's still a teacher in the academy, just like me… But sadly, we're not teaching the kids how to mend chakra, or throw shuriken… He teaches home economics…"

"Home economics?" Ino said, scratching her head, "How about Kurenai-sensei?"

"Um… She's right here, in this house, making love with me every night."

"Oh, yeah… Sorry! How about Anko?"

"Anko? Oh… She and Shizune are Tsunade's bodyguards!"

"Bodyguards? Wait! How's Tsunade-sama?"

"She's doing fine; still gambling as usual. She hosts Shinobi: Deal or No Deal. But men these days get even more perverted, so Tsunade'd need some people with her…"

"Ibiki?"

"He's the security guard of this village, dammit."

"OH YEAH! THE WRINKLY OLD GUY!"

"Genma?"

"He and Raido are working in the school… They manage the files and bring in paperwork for Hokage-sama A.K.A. Uzumaki Naruto."

"Wait! They bring in the paperwork? But I thought that was Izumo and Kotetsu's job!"

"Oh, those two… They're living together… Between you and me, I think they're gay…"

"Yeah, I've always thought so, too…"

"Shikamaru, what are you saying?"

"Gai's living with Rock Lee, just in case you're wondering…"

Suddenly, a question snapped into Ino's mind. "Wait! What do you think happened to Orochimaru, Kabuto, Gaara, Temari, Kankurou and Baki? And where on earth is Sai? I miss him already…"

Shikamaru then said to Asuma, "See? She likes Sai, not me!"

"Stop it!" Ino said, "He just called me 'gorgeous', that's all…"

"You liked it, didn't you?" Shikamaru smirked, "Wait… More importantly… What the heck happened to Itachi, Kisame and the rest of the Akatsuki freaks?"


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23- The Uchiha Reunion**

Ding! Dong!

"Now, who on earth could that be?" Sasuke frowned.

"Must be the pizza boy, Sasuke!" Naruto smiled, sitting on his chair, "Oh, wait, I need to go to the toilet for a while…"

"Okay…" Sasuke said. As he neared the door, he felt something uncomfortable… It was a dark aura… His heart started to beat faster… His knees started to tremble… He was feeling scared… "Darn it…" he said, sweating, "Why the hell should I be afraid?" Then, closer, he started to feel faint… He slowly turned the knob and opened the door. Surprisingly, there was no one outside. "There's no one out here…" Sasuke said, "Heh… Must've been Konohamaru playing a prank on us again! Silly me. And there I was, feeling scared…"

"Hello, Sasuke."

"Huh? Who's that?"

Sasuke's heart started to beat rapidly once again. His temperature rose as he slowly turned around to face the person behind him. That voice that had just called him… He hasn't heard it in ages… He was trembling until he finally saw the figure behind him…

There, stood a tall man with dark hair… He was wearing a black coat with red clouds imprinted on it. His look gave out a grim feeling and his red eyes were looking straight at him… Sasuke froze, unable to move.

"I-Itachi? What are you doing here?"

"Hello, dear brother." Itachi said, "I came to pay my dear sibling a visit because I miss him so much…"

"You miss me?" Sasuke smirked, "How can you say that after you've killed our whole entire clan, huh? Some genius you are!"

"I'm sorry you still feel that way towards me, Sasuke." Itachi replied, "Please forgive me. I came back to Konoha because I forgot something…"

"You forgot something?" Sasuke answered with a stern look, "Lemme guess… You came back to take Naruto, didn't you?" Suddenly, Sasuke brought out his kunai, "Sorry, but that's not gonna happen, big boy!" Quickly, he began striking Itachi with his kunai.

"Sasuke!" Itachi yelled as he dodged his brother's every attack, "You don't… Understand!"

"Yes, I understand everything completely!" Sasuke went on, striking, "Guess Deidra can't wait for the nine tailed demon fox anymore, huh?"

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Deidra is Deidara in the English-dubbed version of Naruto. That's all!**

"Why don't you listen to me for once?" Itachi screamed, evading the attacks still, "It's nothing like that! Now, settle down and listen up!"

"Shut up!" Sasuke said, "I'm not listening to anymore of your lies, Itachi!"

Sasuke was aiming his kunai at his older brother's stomach… The target… He could see it so clearly. "THIS IS FOR THE UCHIHA CLAN AND FOR NARUTO!"

Clang!

"What the… Who the heck are you?"

A huge sword blocked Sasuke's attack and sent the kunai flying across the place. There, stood a huge figure. He was a tall man with spiky blue hair. He wore the same thing as Itachi and had sharp teeth. His eyes were big and he looked very much like a fish.

"Very good, Kisame. You did a great job."

"Heh…" Kisame smirked, "Nothing beats my Samehada!"

"Ki-Kisame?" Sasuke said, looking mad once again, "Damn and I was so close to killing Itachi!"

"Killing Itachi?" Kisame said, "Forget it. You can't defeat him! Sure, you're in your early twenties now, but that doesn't make you any stronger, foolish little brother of Itachi! Haha!"

"Um, Kisame?"

"Yes?"

"'Foolish little brother' is _my _personal nickname for Sasuke and only _I_ can use it… Now, if you don't stop, I swear I'll turn you into sushi!"

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry!"

"Listen, Sasuke…" Itachi said, "I just forgot something in our house before I left to join Akatsuki… Don't worry, I won't harm anybody. Just let me go back to out house and get it from my room."

"Okay," Sasuke replied, "But I'm coming too so I can keep a close eye on you."

"Tch, go ahead."

Slowly, the three of them left to go back to the Uchiha clan's residence. As soon as they got there, Itachi went inside his room, leaving Sasuke and Kisame outside.

"So… How's Itachi been lately?"

"Itachi? Oh, he's fine… He's much nicer now compared to him ten years ago…"

"Really?"

"Yeah… He and Deidra have been kinda busy these days you see… You know, busy, as in busy _together…_"

"Please… I don't wanna hear anymore of this."

"Okay, sorry…"

"It's okay."

Finally, Itachi came out and said, "Thank you for being so kind, Sasuke-kun. Kisame, let's go."

"Wait a minute…" Sasuke said, "Before you go, tell me first… What is it that you forgot?"

"You really wanna know?" Itachi asked.

"Yes, I do." Sasuke replied.

"Okay then!" Slowly, Itachi reached inside his pocket and brought out something very personal…

"I forgot my brief at home…"

"WH-WHAT? A BRIEF?"

"Yes, a brief… I've used up all of my briefs, you see and I still have to launder them…"

"What the heck…"

"Shocking, huh? Yes, I know… So now that you know what I came back for, may we get going?"

"Okay, okay… Scram and get outta my sight…" Sasuke said, blushing, "You're a disgrace to our clan…"

"Our clan's dead. I killed everyone."

"Nah, Sakura'll help me revive it… Now scram!"

"Okay. Bye."

Slowly, Sasuke walked back to the Hokage's office…

"Darn…"


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24- What's Cooking?**

It was getting dark. The sun was setting. Shikamaru, Ino and Choji are now driving back to Shikamaru's place to have dinner.

"That was a nice talk with sensei!" Ino said, "It's nice to talk to someone you haven't seen in years! It's good to know he's doing alright."

"Ah, Hikaru…" Choji sighed, "Asuma-sensei's daughter is so cute! I'll come to play with her sometime…"

After a few minutes, they arrived back home. "So, what do you guys want for dinner?" Choji asked, "I could make pizza for the three of us, you know!"

"Sure! That would be great!" Shikamaru said, "Make it pepperoni and anchovies, please!"

"With pleasure! Ino, care to help?"

"Sure!"

Shikamaru was left alone in the living room. He sat down quietly onto his chair and turned on the television.

TSUNADE: _The banker's offer is now… 1,100,000 Ryo! If you choose 'No Deal,' we will open your briefcase! 2,000,000 is still on the board and it could be in your briefcase! Jiraiya, is it a deal or no deal? _

JIRAIYA: _Tsunade, if I win the 2,000,000 jackpot, will you come home with me?_

TSUNADE: _If you get rich, sure! Why not? I'd even sleep with you, if you like!_

JIRAIYA: _Then if that's the case… NO DEAL! closes box_

TSUNADE: _Jiraiya… You chose 'no deal' which means we will open your briefcase… One Ryo and 2,000,000 Ryo are the two amounts left on the board! If you win 2,000,000 Ryo, you will become Konoha's biggest winner and you get to take me home with you!_

JIRAIYA: _YEAH! I'm comin' home a happy fulfilled man!_

TSUNADE: _You chose briefcase number 15… Shizune! Open the briefcase! Jiraiya, you win…_

Shizune opens the briefcase

TSUNADE: _…one Ryo!_

JIRAIYA: _NANI?_

TSUNADE: _You lost! You're going home alone, you dirty old man… winks_

JIRAIYA: _Dammit!_

TSUNADE: _Thank you for watching Shinobi: Deal or No Deal! Please tune-in tomorrow for another thrilling episode of Shinobi: Deal or No Deal! Will our next contestant win the jackpot? We'll see you tomorrow night!_

JIRAIYA: _NO! NO! NOOO!_

"Tch. If I were him, I'd choose 'Deal.' But no, he had to act recklessly and go for it… Now, he's crying… Such a stupid guy, that Jiraiya…"

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, we can find Choji making some dough for the pizza…

"Wow, Choji! Where'd you learn to make dough like that? You're amazing!"

"Thanks! Azuma Kazuma taught me how to make dough and bake bread!"

"Azuma who?"

"Azuma Kazuma! Oh, wait… He's from another show… Ever heard of Yakitate Japan?"

"Um… How do you meet people from other anime shows? Sakura's met George from Paradise Kiss and now, this Kazuma dude…"

"Wait 'til you meet their manager, Ken! He'll surely remind you of Gai-sensei!"

"Okay…"

After a few more twists and rolls, the pizza dough was done. Ino brought out the tomato sauce, the cheese, the olive oil and the other ingredients. Choji poured the tomato sauce and grated the cheese. Ino sliced the pepperoni sausage and the anchovies and put them one the pizza. After a while, Choji added some olives and some spring onions. It was starting to make his mouth water.

"Kinda makes your mouth want to water, huh?" Ino asked.

"Yeah." Choji replied, "But I can wait! We're gonna have to bake it before we can eat it…"

Slowly, Choji placed the pizza inside the oven and set the timer. "Ten minutes, maybe… Now, all we have to do is to wait!"

"Okay, I can do that." Ino replied, "I'll go and watch some TV with Shikamaru."

"Okay, I'll be right here! I'll tell you when the pizza's cooked."

"Okay!"

Happily, Ino took off her apron and went to the living room. She sat down quietly on the soft carpet, beside Shikamaru's GREEN chair.

"Why don't you sit on the chair next to mine?" Shikamaru asked.

"I prefer the carpet!" Ino smiled, "It's warm and comfy, you see. Kinda makes me miss my dad…"

"Your dad? Why?"

"When I was little, my dad used to tell me stories. We sat down on the carpet at home… Those memories were so beautiful! But now, I don't know where the heck my parents are! So all o' that's history…"

Shikamaru started to feel sorry. Slowly, he patted Ino's back and said, "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll see him once again! Just you wait."

Ino smiled sweetly and said, "Okay, I'll wait! Thank you, Shikamaru…" Slowly, she stood up to hug him. Shikamaru blushed slightly, but said nothing. Ino was smiling dreamily, wrapping her arms around Shikamaru.

Ten minutes later, there was a call from the kitchen… "The pizza's done! And boy does it smell delish!"

Quickly, Ino ran to the dining area and took a seat. Shikamaru followed her and sat down on his chair. Choji walked into the dining room, carrying a tray. As soon as he laid it down on the table, the mouth-watering smell of fresh-from-the-oven pizza filled the air. The three of them couldn't wait to bite that delicious pizza… With olives and pepperoni… Excitedly, Choji jumped merrily onto his seat.

"Let's dig in! I can't wait any longer…" Shikamaru said, smirking.

"_Itadakimasu!_"

And quickly, like lions pouncing on their prey, Ino, Choji and Shikamaru grabbed a many slices as they could and started eating.

"THIS IS DELICIOUS!" Shikamaru exclaimed, "CHOJI, YOU'RE THE BEST COOK EVER!"

"I KNOW!" Choji replied as he munched on the slice, "I LOVE ME!"

"YOU'RE AMAZING!" Ino yelled, "I'VE NEVER TASTED ANYTHING AS GOOD AS THIS!"

The three of them munched on, happily until they were all stuffed. The three of them sat on their seats, unable to move…

"That was good pizza…" Ino said, "The taste is soooooo yummy… I want some more… But then again, I can't 'cause I'm too full…"

"We all are, Ino." Choji replied.

"Let's just sit here and talk… I'm too lazy to take a shower now…" Shikamaru said.

"Yeah, sure, let's talk…" Choji answered, "Got any plans for tomorrow? It's a Saturday!"

"Damn right it is!" Shikamaru said, "I'm free!"

"Let's go to the spa tomorrow! Sakura says they've got great therapies!" Ino said.

"The spa?" Shikamaru said, "Sure. I _could _use a break… Let's ask everyone to come with us too…"

"Okay!" Choji said, "I'll call up Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Tenten, Neji, Lee, Kiba, Hinata and Shino!"

"Good. You do that."

Slowly, Choji got up from his seat and wobbled up to the side table and picked up the phone. One by one, he called up their friends.

NARUTO: The spa? Tomorrow? Sure! As long as we get to eat ramen afterwards…

SASUKE: Sure, Sakura and I'll be there.

TENTEN: I'm not so sure about Neji, but you can bet I'll be there!

LEE: Yahoooooo! The spa! shouts hysterically

CHOJI: Hello? Lee? Um, Lee?

LEE: Spa! The spa! Yahoooooo!

CHOJI: Sigh. Oh well.

HINATA: Sure, I'll go.

KIBA: I'm not so sure… Who's gonna manage the shop?

CHOJI: Ask your sister to take over.

KIBA: Oh yeah! Sure. I'll come along.

SHINO: My shift's in the evening during the weekends, so I guess I could make it…

"Everyone's coming!" Choji said, with a big smile on his face.

"That's good…" Ino said.

"Okay, now that that's settled…" Shikamaru said, "I'll go take my shower now."

And up he went to take his evening shower.

**Please stick around for further updates. I'm not sure I'll be able to post some new chapters as soon as possible, but I'll do my best! Please be patient. Thanks! ;-) SK**


	25. Chapter 25

**I'm sorry I wasn't able to update as many chapters as I used to… I've had a totally hectic schedule, y'see… The qualifying exams, the pain-steaking, back-breaking HE project, and the sports fest is comin' up next week… Hopefully, I'd be able to update ASAP.**

**Love lots, SK ;-)**

**Chapter 25- Having a SPAnkin' time at the Spa…**

"Hey! We're here!"

Shikamaru, Ino and Choji were the first ones to arrive. Ino was amazed by how huge and calming the place was. "What's the matter?" Shikamaru asked, "First time in a spa?"

"It's not that!" Ino replied, "It's just that… The last time I came here, it was much, much smaller! Now it's enormous!"

"Enormous enough for hanging out with you friends, I must say!" Choji said, "They said we'll meet 'em here!"

"Well, they better make it quick!" Ino said, "I can't wait to start relaxing!"

"I can't wait to take a nap…" Shikamaru yawned, "They'd better arrive soon…"

After a few minutes, Lee, Tenten and Neji arrived. "Hello, hello!" Lee said, "It's so nice to see you guys here!"

"I see we're in a good mood today, aren't we, Ino?" Tenten said, smiling.

"Yo…" was all that Neji said.

The six of them stood there and waited for the others to come.

It wasn't too look 'til Kiba, Shino and Hinata arrived. And Akamaru? He died… cries It's been long years! Now, he's dead!

"Good morning!" Hinata said, playing with her fingers.

"What's up?" Kiba smiled.

"Yo…" Shino said.

"WILL YOU PLEASE STOP SAYING 'YO' ALREADY!?" Shikamaru said, "It's pissing me off. First Neji, now Shino… Darn."

"But I like saying Yo!" Shino explained, "It's makes me sound like a hip guy."

"But Gai-sensei hates hip people!" Lee snapped.

Before Shikamaru could utter a word, in came Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. There was a huge explosion! Confetti shot into the air from behind Naruto's back and there was a fanfare and all…

"YO!!!" Naruto greeted cheerfully, "It is nice to have everyone together in the spa on this beautiful sunny day!"

"Did he have to say 'yo'?" Shikamaru sighed, scratching his head.

Sasuke was circling around Naruto, throwing flower petals at him. Sakura was quietly brushing them away.

"Thank you… Thank you…" Naruto said, bowing.

His friends just stared at him, as if he was some kind of freak.

KIBA: Believe me, Naruto… You _are _some kind of freak… You and Lee both are.

NARUTO & LEE: Humph!

"Alright! Let's get a move on! I wanna get into the hot spring ASAP!" Shikamaru said, leading everyone to the locker rooms. They separated, (duh, both male and female can't be together in one locker room, no da.) then got into their towels.

"Alright!" Naruto said, "Where do you guys wanna go first?"

"Neji," Lee asked, "Wanna play some table tennis?"

Neji looked at Lee nervously and replied, "I'm not sure… I've never actually tried playing before."

"Oh, it's easy!" Lee snapped, "Gai-sensei and I play all the time! It'll take very little time for you to learn how!"

"Okay," Neji said, " I'll give it a try. Wanna come along, Tenten?"

"Nah, it's okay." Tenten replied, "You boys have fun!"

"Yahooo!!!" Lee yelled. And off, he went with Neji, to the table tennis room.

"Well, girls," Sakura said, "Why don't we relax in the hot spring for a while?"

"Sure!" Hinata replied, smiling as bright as the sun, "I could use a nice warm bath!"

"We'll see you guys later!"

Then, Sakura, together with Ino, Hinata and Tenten, went on to the hot spring.

"I'll be in the sauna, if you don't mind…"

"Matte, Shino! I'm coming with you, too, dude!"

Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru and Choji were left alone, standing still, wondering what to do. "So…" Sasuke began, "What _do _we do? I mean, they're all like, over there… Doin' stuff."

"Sigh. I don't know about you three," Shikamaru answered, "But I'm going over there to get a massage… All the fatigue's killing me, honestly!"

"Yeah! Like, who's not stressed?" Naruto added, "Okay, then! Let's all have a massage!"

"Sigh…" Shikamaru pouted, "And just when I thought I was finally gonna be in peace…"

The four of them walked together into the therapy room and started relaxing.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26- Hot Spring Girl Talk…**

"Ahhh…" Sakura sighed, "This feels so good! It's been a long time since I last went to a hot spring…"

"Tell me about it…" Tenten said, stretching her arms, "The hot water gives a very refreshing feeling!"

"This definitely feels much better than the hot shower Shikamaru has at home!" Ino added, "Nothing beats a hot spring, eh, girls?"

"Yeah…" all of them replied.

"So, what do you wanna talk about now?" Sakura asked, "We can't just swim here doing nothing!"

"I don't mind being quiet!" Hinata blushed, "The silence is actually nice!" Then she sighed, "You girls can talk about anything- I'll just be here relaxing!"

Sakura, Tenten and Ino giggled and laughed. They smiled at each other as mist rose from the hot spring water. It was calming, it was soothing, it was invigorating their minds and bodies. All they could do now is sigh as they felt the relaxing temperature of hot water.

"Ya know, I wish Sasuke was here with us!" Sakura said, "I miss him already!"

"Yeah, and I kinda wished Neji was here, too!" Tenten replied, "I've gotten so used to being with him all the time, it gets kinda lonely when I'm without him."

"How about you, Ino?" Sakura asked, "Don'tcha wish Shikamaru was bathing here with us?"

"HUH!? WHAT!?" Ino choked, "No way!"

"But I thought you had feelings for that guy!" Sakura shot back, "Why the hell wouldn't you want him to be in this relaxing hot water with you, huh?"

"It's nothing…"

"Nothing?" Tenten replied, "How could it be nothing? C'mon… I know somewhere deep inside your heart, you want him to be with you!"

"Yeah, but he surely doesn't want to be with me!" Ino replied, looking almost like she was about to cry, "It hurts, but if that's what Shikamaru wants, so be it. I don't wanna be a burden to him anymore, so I won't bother him. I've always been telling him what I wanted and he always gave it to me… It's been like that for generations… So now, I won't be the big boss who makes him suffer. I'll let him decide for himself from now on."

Sakura and Tenten couldn't say a word. Even Hinata woke up from her peaceful and quiet relaxation. All the things that Ino had just said gave them a lingering tingle in their spines. They were unable to say anything to her. Ino remained silent, and went on, drowning herself into the hot, misty water. The four of them remained silent as the minutes passed by. As soon as she realized everybody else was getting bored with all the silence, Sakura finally began another conversation.

"So… How do you think our old teachers are doing now?"

"I visited Asuma-sensei with Shikamaru and Choji the other day," Ino replied, looking a bit happier, "He's doing fine. He and Kurenai-sensei got married and now, they've got a three-year old daughter named Hikaru…"

"Oh, I see." Hinata smiled, "I'm glad to hear Kurenai-sensei's doing well too! I should pay her a visit one of these days."

"How's Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, "I haven't seen the guy for ages! I wonder if he's still wearing that darn mask… I remember that day when Naruto, Sasuke and I tried so hard to take that annoying thing off!"

"Did you succeed?" Ino asked.

"Well, we almost did in Ichiraku…" Sakura replied, "But then _your team _got in the way!"

"I'm sorry." Ino said, "Asuma-sensei said he was working with that pervert Jiraiya in his Icha-Icha series…"

"Oh, I see…"

Suddenly, they heard a strange wet noise coming from behind… It sounded like someone was coming. And indeed, someone _was _coming… The four girls froze and stayed still, waiting for the person to show up.

"Jiraiya?" Sakura whispered, "I think not…"

The four of them were like statues, stiff and silent. Slowly, the shadow began to form. It was a woman. She walked slowly towards them. The four girls watched closely as the figure was slowly revealing itself. And finally, it did.

"Why're you four so paranoid? It's just me!"

"Te… Temari!? Is that you!?"

"Yo! Long time no see, if I must say! I miss this place already!"

"Wait! If you're here, where are Gaara and Kankurou?"

"Oh, them! They said something about table tennis… I dunno…"

"Oh. Well, anyways! Come on in and join us!"

"Thanks. I'd be glad to."

Splash…


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27- The Table Tennis Dudes**

"Ack! I missed again!"

"Wow… This is easier than it looks!"

"Stop… Being… So… overconfident… The game's not done yet…"

"I'm not being overconfident! It's just that…"

"SHYADDAP!!! Tryin'a concentrate here!"

"Okay! Sorry!"

Lee and Neji were both sweating as they played their little game of table tennis. Lee was obviously losing to Neji…

"Damn you!"

"It's not my fault I'm a fast learner…"

"SHYADDAP!!!"

The ball bounced from court to court… Side to side… Up, down, up, and down again… The ball just never stopped bouncing, until they heard someone coming.

"Darn… And just when the game was starting to get really good!"

"Shhhh!"

Slowly, the two glass doors opened and two men came in. One had red hair, and black stuff around his eyes, while the other one had spiky brown hair. They both looked really serious and dangerous.

"Darn. Who on earth are they?" Lee asked Neji.

"Take a closer look." Neji replied, pointing at the redhead, "See that mark?"

Lee looked closely at the guy's forehead and was surprised to see the word 'Love' written in Kanji. The man stared at him closely, making Lee shiver in terror. The other guy didn't seem to care, so her just sat down and watched the two gape at one another.

"Are you just gonna stare at me?" the redhead asked, "'Cause if you are, you'd better stop. I don't wanna waste my time just gazing at some dope, y'know. I have other important things to do."

"Who're you calling a dope!?" Lee replied, "Look at you! At least _I _have eyebrows!"

"Are you insulting me?" the guy answered, looking really mad.

"Um, Lee, I think you'd better stop." Neji said, trying to hold Lee back, "You're gonna start a fight again, and Gai-sensei doesn't like that!"

"Gaara…" the brown-spiky-haired dude said, "If you want, _I _can take him out for you! So you won't have to exhaust yourself too much…"

"Silence, Kankurou! This is none of your business. This freak had just insulted me and therefore, the sand must punish him…"

"Don't get all demonic again, Gaara… It scares me when you do that…"

"Wait a minute!" Lee yelled.

"What is it?"

"You guys! I know you!" Lee said, smiling, "You guys are from Suna, right? You're Gaara and Kankurou!"

"Uhhh… Gaara," Kankurou said, "How the hell does this freakish guy know our names and where we come from?"

"Yes, I have definitely seen those abnormally thick, bushy eyebrows somewhere in the past…" Gaara replied, "It takes me back to the times when we first arrived here in Konoha…"

"Ohhhh, IT'S ME, REMEMBER!?" Lee said, jumping up and down, "Thick eyebrows, big eyes, taijutsu expert, green spandex suit! Ring any bells?"

Gaara thought for a moment and rubbed his chin. "Thick eyebrows… Ah, yes. I remember who you are. You're that freakish weird kid from the Chuunin exams… The kid who loves his teacher so much… Now, what was his name again? Uh, Goo, no that's not it… Gag? No… Oh, wait… His name is GAY-sensei, right?"

"It's GAI-SENSEI!" Rock Lee replied, with smoke coming from his ears, "And my name is ROCK LEE!!!"

"Then in that case," Kankurou said, pointing at Neji, "That guy standing next to you must be Hyuuga Neji. Sorry, but I thought you were a girl when we first got here…"

Neji blushed and didn't say anything. Instead, he tried to look away.

"So, what are you guys doin' on this side o' the world?" Lee asked.

"Nothing." Gaara replied, "We just wanna take a break, that's all."

"Oh, I see… Wanna play some table tennis?"

"Sure, why not."

AND AFTER 10 MINUTES

LEE: Aw, darn! Why do people keep beating me!? I used to be invincible!

NEJI: Face it, Lee. It was destined for you to lose to me and Gaara.

LEE: There you go with that destiny stuff again! It's so annoying! Aargh!

GAARA: yawns You're too easy to beat… Anyone else?

KANKUROU: I wanna play this time! How about a match between the two of us, eh, Neji?

NEJI: Nah, I'm beat.

LEE: I'll fight you! I'm ready!

KANKUROU: sighs

AFTER **ANOTHER **10 MINUTES

LEE: Noooooo!!! Why is this happening!? Gai-sensei!!!

KANKUROU: Sheesh… What a baby…

NEJI: It's called 'fate', or sometimes called 'destiny', Lee.

LEE: Ohhh, SHYADDAP!

GAARA: yawns I'm bored… You're no fun at all. I could beat you with my eyes closed.

LEE: Grrrrrr… Damn you all!

GAARA: yawns Are we done yet?

LEE: I wanna rematch! Neji! You and me!

NEJI: What!? Oh great…

LEE: I'm gonna win this time! Believe it!

KANKUROU: Hey, isn't that Naruto's line?...


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28- Karaoke Time**

They say time flies when you're having fun. Hours passed as they had lots of fun in the spa. When they finally realized they were all getting hungry, they went back to the locker rooms, dressed up and met at the entrance, together with Gaara, Kankurou and Temari.

"What the… What are you guys doing here!?" Naruto asked, looking surprised, "It's been a long time! How've you been?"

"We've been fine." Gaara replied, crossing his arms, "Thanks for asking."

"So, what do we do now?" Lee asked, "Man I'm starving! Hey, let's look for a good restaurant to eat in!"

"I agree with that idea!" Naruto replied, smiling.

"You guys could come and eat at Ino-Shika-Cho!" Choji suggested, "It's fully air conditioned, the food's good, oh, you can drink beer, and I can even cook for you guys for free!"

"Wow… That sounds quite tempting!" Kiba smirked, "Sure! Whaddya say, guys?"

"As long as you don't serve any bugs, I'm cool with that…" Shino replied nervously, "I heard there were people who ate insects to survive…"

"Don't worry!" Choji chuckled, "I don't serve any gross stuff. Otherwise, I wouldn't have any customers! Oh, and by the way, there's sing-all-you-can karaoke!"

"YEAH!!! KARAOKE!!!" Naruto yelled, punching in the air, "That's _my _type of restaurant!"

"Shall we go now?" Choji asked.

Naruto nodded and off they went to Choji's restaurant. The restaurant wasn't too far away; maybe a few kilometers from the spa. Outside, they saw all different kinds of bars. The streets were filled with lights and people were walking to disco bars to dance their heads off. Cars drove past as they neared their destination. "Wow! I never knew Konoha was this lively at night!" Naruto exclaimed, "I'm always too busy at work, so I don't have any time to party or anything…" Sasuke smiled and then he replied, "Then tonight will probably the best night of your life, Hokage-sama."

"I said, call me 'Naruto!' I'm not used to my friends calling me Hokage-sama, honestly…" Naruto said.

Minutes passed and finally, they arrived at their destination… The Ino-Shika-Cho Restaurant… It was a huge place, full of lights, with glass windows, more shiny lights and a big sign with 'Ino-Shika-Cho' written on it. Everyone was amazed by what they saw.

"Wow…" Ino said, "I never thought you'd end up owning a huge restaurant like this, Choji!"

"You really _have _missed a lot, haven't you, Ino?" Tenten asked, "Choji's cooked a lot of delicious food for us and always treats us to his famous bistro during special occasions!"

"Is tonight a special occasion?" Ino asked.

"Of course it is!" Naruto replied, "All of us are here! This night is like a big get-together for old Ninja Academy Students who've already graduated years ago."

"Oh, I see!" Ino said, smiling, "I'm glad to see everybody again after such a long time."

"We're glad you're back, Ino." Shikamaru said.

Ino blushed, smiled at Shikamaru and tucked her hair behind her right ear. "Yeah, I'm glad I'm back too! I feel so happy whenever you guys are around!"

"We're all happy!" Naruto smiled, "Happy! Happy! Happy!"

"Okay! Let's get in!" Choji said, "I will let you taste my original recipes! You'll die of its tastiness!"

"Okay, I'll be expecting something really deadly, okay?" Kiba smirked.

The twelve of them went in. As soon as they got inside, they were amazed to see lots of people inside the restaurant. Suddenly, a young lady approached Choji and said, "Um, excuse me, Sir Choji, but we've ran out of eggs for the tempura!"

"Is that so?" Choji replied, "Don't worry, Tama-san, I'll go to the store and buy some more eggs!"

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Sir Choji!" And off she went, skipping happily, back to the kitchen where she was working. Choji turned around to face his friends and said, "That's Tama, my employee. She's the best cook in this building, next to me, of course! She's such a sweetie; I'll go out and buy some eggs. You guys can have a seat!"

"N-no, I'll get those eggs for you!" Ino said, "This is too much, Choji! Let me do it for you!"

"Oh, um, okay!" Choji replied, scratching his head, "If you say so…"

"I'll come with you." Shikamaru said, "Something bad might happen."

"OOH!" Naruto laughed, hitting Shikamaru's side with his elbow, "You're concerned! I knew it; you _do _like her! Admit it!"

"Shut up." Shikamaru answered, "If she gets kidnapped, I'll be receiving lots of ransom notes in my mailbox and I do not want any more letters in my mailbox! If she gets killed, she's gonna haunt me forever! And if Ino gets raped, well…"

"Let's just go!" Ino snapped, looking annoyed, "Tama needs those eggs, Shikamaru!"

"Oh, okay… Fine." Shikamaru sighed. Ino smiled and said, "We'll be back in a few minutes!"

"Uh, sure. The store's just across this place, okay? Don't be gone for too long."

"Okay!"

Ino quickly grabbed Shikamaru's arm and pulled him outside the place. The two of them left, leaving their friends in the restaurant.

"Why don't you guys tell me what you want?" Choji asked, "It's Specials Night!"

"Uh, sure…" Naruto replied, "May I order some extra spicy pork ramen with tofu?"

"Sure." Choji said, writing down Naruto's order.

"Neji and I will have some pasta!" Tenten said, "Fettuccini!"

"Okay!"

"I'll have some steak, if that's alright with you…"

"Good choice, Kiba!"

"I'll have some spicy hot chicken wings."

"Got you covered, Sasuke."

"Caesar's salad, please."

"Shino, are you on a diet? Well, anyway…"

"I'd like some beef teriyaki!"

"Sure! We have the best beef teriyaki in Konoha! Nice one, Sakura. And how about you, Hinata?"

"I'll just have a cheeseburger. I'm really not that hungry."

"Oh, that's okay! I'll ask Tama and the crew to cook your orders. I'll ask Ino and Shikamaru what they might want later. For now, enjoy yourselves with some karaoke!"

"Sure…" Naruto grinned, "We'd love to enjoy ourselves… Isn't that right, Sasuke?"

"Uh- yes, Hokage-sama, I mean, Naruto…"

"Mind if I joined in the fun?" said a guy standing behind Naruto.

"Wait… I've heard this voice before…" Naruto moaned, "And you look very familiar…"

The guy looked almost like Sasuke, except that he looked much friendlier and happier. Naruto gazed at him and tried to recall who exactly that guy was. Sakura stepped in as well.

"Hello, how're you doing, you hag? Heheh…" the guy said, smiling, "Missed me?"

Immediately, Sakura felt insulted and started screaming, "DID YOU JUST CALL ME A HAG!?!?" Finally, she figured out who that guy was. He filled in Sasuke's place while he was brainwashed by Orochimaru.

"IT'S SAI!" Sakura exclaimed, pointing at him.

"Sai!?" Naruto said, "That's Sai!?"

"Yo!" Sai said, smiling, "It's nice to see old friends again." Then, he turned to Sasuke and said, "You must be Uchiha Sasuke. I believe this is our first meeting! I'm pleased to meet you; my name is Sai."

"I'm thrilled." Sasuke replied.

"So… Where's Ino?" Sai asked, "Shouldn't she be here with you guys?"

"Oh, Ino's out. She's buying some eggs from the store with Shikamaru." Lee replied, "The two of them have been acting strangely these past few days!"

"Ahh…" Sai sighed, "Ino and Shikamaru… I always knew those two would end up together someday!"

"Well, actually, Shikamaru isn't that thrilled…" Kiba explained, "He always gets mad at us whenever we say something about him and Ino."

"He's just being defensive." Sai laughed, "Don't worry; he can't hide the truth for too long! Hah. That Shikamaru…"

"So…" Lee said, "Shall we start our karaoke party?"

"Okay!" Naruto replied, grabbing the microphone, "I'll choose the first song!" Quickly, he browsed through the song index and found the song he was looking for. "Ah! Here it is…"

And so the song went:

_You are my sunshine…_

_My only sunshine…_

_You make me happy…_

_When skies are gray…_

His other friends giggled and felt embarrassed at the same time. "People are looking…" Sasuke murmured. "Don't worry!" Sai said, "Naruto doesn't seem to care! Such a brave soul he is…"

_You'll never know, dear…_

_How much I love you!_

"Argh… Can't he choose another song!?" Lee said, covering his ears, "That song's for little kids!" "Well, Naruto _does_ seem to act quite gullible and childish at times…" Neji sighed, "Let's just wait for the damn song to end, okay?"

_Please don't take my sunshine away…_

"Ah, finally!"

_WAIT! There's a second verse!_

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!"


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29- Egg Shopping and Konohamaru…**

"Good evening! Welcome to the Para-Para Convenience Store! My name is Ran!"

"Okay, um, Ran, where may we find some fresh eggs?"

"Eggs? Oh, they're over there; just go straight!"

"Okay! Thanks a lot."

Ino and Shikamaru walk across the aisle, straight ahead to go to the area where the eggs are. "Eggs… Eggs…" Ino muttered again and again, "Eggs… Eggs…" Finally, they arrived to the Egg Section. It was full of eggs! Well, duh. "How many trays do you think they'd need?" Shikamaru asked, "Wait… Lemme call him up…"

Shikamaru grabbed his cell phone from his pocket and speed dialed Choji's number.

Beep-beep…

Beep-beep…

Beep-beep…

Beep-beep…

"Hello? What is it, Shikamaru?"

"Hi… We're here already and I called to ask how many trays of eggs you might need."

"You could just get five dozens! I'll shop for more tomorrow, anyway."

"Five dozens? You need that much?"

"Well, yeah… Ebi tempura's in-demand these days!"

"Oh, um… Okay! Thanks."

Shikamaru pushed the button and put the phone back into his jacket. "Five dozens." He said. Ino got three trays. But then she started having a hard time in getting two more… "Um, a little help here, please…"

Shikamaru got the eggs from Ino and got two more from the section. "Here. Let me carry these for you." He said, "If you drop any of them, it's gonna be the both of us cleaning the splattered egg yolks on the floor. I wouldn't want that; it's embarrassing."

Ino laughed and said, "Thanks!" Then, the two of them walked to the cashier and paid for the eggs they bought.

As they got out of the store, they spotted three familiar-looking teenagers walking to a disco bar. One kid had spiky brown hair and wore a shirt with the Konoha sign on it. Then, walking next to him was a young girl with pigtails, wearing a red dress. The third was a geeky-looking young man, with brown hair and glasses.

"Hey… Aren't those Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon?" Ino asked, pointing at them, "Man… They've grown a lot! I wonder if they still remember us."

"They'd probably remember Naruto more than they'd remember us, Ino." Shikamaru said, "So don't bother even approaching them… Ino? WHAT THE…"

Before he could say anything else, Ino had already gone to the three youngsters.

"Hi! I'm Ino! Remember me?" she said, "I used to study in the Ninja Academy!"

"That was such a long time ago…" Moegi said, "Hey, wait a minute! I think I remember you! You and Sakura used to fight over Sasuke a lot, right?"

"Yup! That's me!" Ino replied, smiling, "I'm glad you still remember me!"

"Where's that fat kid and that really skinny one?" Konohamaru asked, "What were their names again?"

"Oh, you mean Shikamaru and Choji." Ino said, "Choji's in his restaurant, while Shikamaru's over there!" She then pointed to the skinny man standing behind her, waiting. "Oh. Hello." Shikamaru said, yawning, "How've you three been?"

"ACHOO!" Udon sneezed, "I've been having this really annoying cold lately, but I'm okay… Sniff."

"So… Are you two on a date? Konohamaru? Moegi?" Shikamaru asked.

"Heheh… You bet we are!" Konohamaru chuckled, "We're on our way to the disco bar!"

"Oh, don't mind me." Udon said, "I'm just accompanying them… I'll be gone to the bookstore once they get in, so don't worry…"

Ino giggled and smiled. "That's cute," she said.

"How about you two?" Konohamaru asked, addressing Shikamaru, "You guys are alone together! Are _you two _on a date as well?"

"Argh… How many times do I have to answer that question!?" Shikamaru replied, looking quite pissed, "The answer is no! We just bought some eggs!"

"Oh…" Moegi sighed, "That's a weird way to date each other!"

"I TOLD YOU IT'S NOT A DATE!!!" Shikamaru yelled, "Anyways, you kids should get going. We still have to eat."

"Oh okay." Konohamaru said, "Let's get going, Moegi!"

"Okay!" Moegi replied, "It was fun meeting you guys again!"

"Sure!" Ino said, smiling, "See you some other time! Oh, and… Good luck with your date."

"Thanks!" Moegi said, blushing.

Then, the trio walked off. Ino and Shikamaru turned around and walked back to the restaurant. When they got there, Rock Lee was singing his heart out, with everybody cheering for him.

"GO! LEE!"

"YEAH!!! YOU ROCK MORE THAN NARUTO!!!"

"HEY!"

_Play that funky music white boy…_

_Play that funky music right!!!_

"Choji, we've got the eggs." Shikamaru said, handing the plastic bag of egg trays to his friend, "We bought five dozens, just like you said."

"Thanks!" Choji said, "Tama!"

Immediately, Tama rushed to him. "Yes, sir?" she asked. "We've got your eggs!" Choji told her, "You can now make your delicious tempura for the customers! I'll buy some more tomorrow." Then, he gently handed the bag over to Tama. She took it, bowed down and went back to the kitchen. Choji smiled then asked, "What might you guys want to order?"

"Who? Us?" Ino asked.

"Well, duh!" Choji answered, "Since everybody's already ordered _their _food…"

"I'd like to try some of Tama's tempura, if that's alright…" Ino said, "She seems like a really sweet girl!"

"Trust me," Choji said, writing down the order on a piece of paper, "She is."

"I'll have some fried fish."

"Sure. Gotcha, Shikamaru!"

Then, Choji happily walked to the kitchen to help his employees in cooking.

"It's good to see he's doing well!" Ino said, "Such a happy guy he is!"

Suddenly, the doors opened and in came Gaara, Temari and Kankurou. "Sorry we just got here." Gaara said, "Kankurou had to use the men's room."

"Haha, that's very funny, Gaara." Kankurou said sarcastically, "Hey! Is that a karaoke machine I spot? Mind if I join in?"

"Sure!" Sai said, "The song index is over there."

"Thanks, dude."


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30- Bon appetite!**

After fifteen minutes, Choji arrived with waitresses pushing carts of food. "Dinner is served!" he said joyfully, "Everybody please proceed to your seats!"

"Uh… Wait." Temari said, "Kankurou's still singing…"

_I'm too sexy for my shirt…_

_Too sexy for my pants…_

"Kankurou!"

"Yes, Temari?"

"Wanna order something?"

"Oh, yes!" Choji said, "I forgot to ask you guys what you wanted to have! Where did you guys run off to, anyway?"

"Kankurou needed to go." Temari replied, "So we had to find the public washrooms here, in Konoha."

"Oh, I see. So what will you be having?"

"It's okay, Gaara!" Naruto said, "You could share my ramen! It's good, I'm tellin' ya!"

"N-no thanks." Gaara replied, "I'm not that fond of noodles in hot soup… I'll have some dumplings."

Suddenly, a purple-haired woman wearing a trench coat and a net barged inside the restaurant. "Did I hear you say 'dumplings!?"

"Oh no…" Naruto gasped, "IT'S HER!!!"

"Yo!" the lady said, "Did'ya miss me?"

Everybody stared at her as she stood in front of them, doing a freaky pose. As they continued staring at her, Tama walked up to her and asked, "Excuse me, ma'am, but will it be a table for one?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, please!"

That lady was Anko. She followed Tama to her table and then she sat down. Naruto ran to where she was seated, with Sasuke and Sakura behind him.

"Miss Anko!" Naruto said, "Is that you?"

"Hmmm?" Anko said, "You bet it is. Don'tcha know this sexy purple-haired nin when you see her?"

"It's been years!" Sakura gasped, "How're you doing?"

"Fine…" Anko replied, "Shizune and I are Tsunade-sama's bodyguards…"

"Yeah… Heard you guys work in Shinobi: Deal or no Deal…" Sasuke sighed.

Tama suddenly popped in and asked, "Excuse me, ma'am, but what would you like to order?"

"Gimme all the dumplings you've got." Anko said, "I heard you guys have the best dumplings here… I'd like to see."

"Still a dumpling addict, I see…" Naruto said, "That's nice…"

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Anko-san." Sakura said, "We have to get back now."

"Sure. I'll see you kiddos some other day!"

"Believe it!"

Then, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura went back to their table to eat. Everybody started eating the delicious food Choji and his crew had cooked for them. It was a super yummy night, everybody savored the food…

Sai walked around their table until he spotted Ino sitting there quietly. He grabbed a vacant seat from the next table and sat beside her. "Hey, gorgeous." He said, "How've ya been?"

Ino suddenly snapped out of it and blushed as she saw the man sitting next to her. Sai was smiling at her, looking at her straight in the eye. "It's… It's… IT'S SAI!!" she exclaimed, "Sai! How are you? I've missed you so much!"

Shikamaru pouted, tried to ignore what was happening and went on with his meal.

"I've been fine," Sai said, "I've missed you too, Ino." Ino giggled shyly and blushed. "Oh, Sai… You're such a charmer!" Sai giggled along with her.

"Looks like someone's getting jealous!" Kiba said, looking at Shikamaru, "Whaddya think, Hinata?"

"Um, yeah!" Hinata replied, "He looks pretty annoyed by the way Sai's hitting on her!"

Sai and Ino continued laughing and laughing. Shikamaru sat still, eating his dinner. He was somehow annoyed by the noise the two of them were creating, but he kept quiet and tried not to yell at them. He went on eating, ignoring every word that came out of Sai's mouth. The night went on and on…


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31- What a Night!**

It was getting late. Everyone had finally finished eating. Shikamaru and Ino drove back home to get some shut-eye. Suddenly, Shikamaru's phone rang.

_Hello Moto…_

"Hello?" Shikamaru answered, "Sakura? What? Oh… Oh, okay… Sure… Seven-thirty in the morning?... Okay, okay… Sure… I'll bring her there… Thanks… Okay, bye."

"What is it?" Ino asked.

"Sakura just told me to take you to her studio tomorrow morning." He said, "You have a photo shoot."

"Photo shoot?" Ino said.

"You agreed to be her model, didn't you?" Shikamaru replied, "Seven-thirty tomorrow morning. Get up at six."

"That early!?" Ino gasped.

"If you want your job to be successful, sacrifices must be made!" Shikamaru laughed, "If you don't wanna end up penniless on the streets again, you're gonna have to work hard."

"Okay, okay…" Ino yawned, "I'll set the alarm…"

Then, Shikamaru drove off, until they reached his place. The two of them took a quick shower, dressed up into their nighties, and went straight to bed. They had a busy day coming up ahead…


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32- A Tickle for your Troubles**

"Good morning, princess."

"What? What the… It's six a.m. already?"

"Go check the clock."

"I'm too sleepy…"

"Hey, get up! Today is a busy day."

"Ohhh…"

Shikamaru sat on Ino's bedside, waiting for her to get up and go. Ino was still wrapped in bed, feeling too lazy to get up. Shikamaru sighed, "Come on, it's your first day at work. You don't want to get fired on your first day now, do you?" Ino said nothing and continued closing her eyes.

"Guess this leaves me no choice…" Shikamaru sighed. He started tickling Ino's sides. "Tickle-tickle-tickle!" he said, "I won't stop 'till you get up, Ino."

"Hahaha! Haha! Stop it!" Ino laughed, "Stop that, Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru continued poking and tickling her, "Get up first! Then, I'll stop!"

"Okay! Okay!" Ino giggled, "I'll get up!" Then, she sat up and brushed her fingers through her long, golden mane. She sighed and said, "Today is a busy day…" Shikamaru smiled at her and said, "Yup, it sure is. I'll meet you downstairs for breakfast, okay?"

"Okay." Ino answered. Shikamaru stood up and went downstairs. Ino sat on her bed for a while and felt the cold wind blowing against her. "Winter is coming." She said. Then, she looked outside the window and saw a gray sky. "It's usually sunny in the morning… But seeing this gray sky, it's obviously winter…" She stood up and walked to the vanity mirror. She looked at herself, rubbed her eyes and yawned. Then she grabbed the brush and brushed her hair. She yawned again. Finally, she tied her hair in a ponytail and went down to eat.

Shikamaru sat there, with bacon and rice and glasses of fresh orange juice on the table. "Let's eat," he said. And as soon as Ino's feet touched the cold floor, she walked to the table, sat down and began eating.

The two of them munched the delicious breakfast. After they finished eating, they went back upstairs to take a shower and dress up.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33- First Day at Work**

"Wow… You're looking fastidious today."

Ino was wearing a pleated denim mini skirt, with a purple turtleneck top, a lilac hooded jacket and knee-high boots. She blushed as Shikamaru looked at her in her outfit.

"Okay… Are you ready?" Shikamaru asked her.

"Yes." Ino replied.

"Alright then! Let's go."

The two of them went outside and into Shikamaru's car. He put the key in, started the engine, pumped everything up and drove off to Sakura's place.

"It wouldn't be too long, don't worry." Shikamaru said, "The shoot's only until nine o' clock. I'm pretty sure you could do the job that long."

"Oh, okay."

"I'll pick you up at nine. After that, we can have coffee."

"Sure! That sounds nice."

After that, Ino looked outside and saw the foggy sky. She wasn't used to it since it was pure sun she saw for the past few days. People have started wearing jackets and coats, scarves and boots. Winter was surely coming. The village of Konoha was getting cold. It wasn't long until they finally reached Sakura's mansion. It was a bit smaller than Shikamaru's place. It had huge black gates and a huge bonsai garden. Shikamaru unlocked the car doors and said, "Well, this is your stop, Ino. I'll be back at nine, okay?"

"Okay." Ino said, getting off the car.

Then, Shikamaru winked at her and said, "I know you can do it. I believe in you, Ino."

Ino then blushed and watched Shikamaru as he drove off. Slowly, the car drifted away, until it became a tiny little spec in her vision. As soon as he had gone, Ino turned around and pressed the button.

"Who is it?" said a voice from the speaker.

"This is Yamanaka Ino…" she said, "Sakura called last night and wanted me over today…"

"Ino? Ah, okay. Please, come in, Miss Yamanaka."

Slowly, the gates opened. Ino gasped in surprise. "Wow," she said, "This is incredible!" Slowly, she went inside. The gates closed again. She marveled at the bonsai plants that were in the garden. They looked so healthy and green. "Wow… She's well-off…"

Ino walked straight until she reached the door of Sakura's mansion. They were big red doors, perhaps ten feet tall and had Sakura's initials in big gold letters on them. Ino knocked on the doors. "Knock, knock! Anybody home?"

Immediately, the doors automatically opened. "This is even freakier than Shikamaru's place!" she said. Then, she went inside. The place was very crowded. The walls were full of picture frames with models wearing Sakura's outfits. Ino looked around and saw rolls of different types and colors of cloth leaning against the walls. There were manikins wearing unfinished clothing and boxes were around the whole place as well. It was a bit messy, but seemed to have welcomed Ino to her new job as a fashion model. Ino smiled as she saw everything around her. "I can tell I'm gonna like this place a lot!" she said to herself. Suddenly, she saw a very old-looking picture of two young girls somewhere in the middle of the wall. She went closer to look. As she gazed closely at the old portrait, she soon realized that the two girls were Sakura and herself, playing and smiling together in a flowery garden. It was a picture of them during their first day of school, the very first moment they became good friends. "I can't believe we stopped being friends just because we fussed over Sasuke." She gawked, "It's good that everything's alright between the both of us now! I wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore."

Suddenly, a voice from upstairs called out, "Ino, are you down there? Come up so we can begin!"

"Okay! I'm coming!" Ino replied, running to the stairs. She ran up and went to the room where the voice came from. It was pretty chaotic inside the room. Noises by the fax machine filled the room, there were spools of thread scattered around the place, patches of cloth lay gently on the red, carpeted floor, and crumpled paper with failure sketches were around the place too. Ino saw Sakura sitting next to her sewing machine, sewing another creation.

"Hey! You made it on time." Sakura said, sweating. She was wearing rectangular glasses and had a pencil behind her ear and her hair was tied in a ponytail. Seeing Ino, she stopped the machine, stood up and said, "Sorry for the messy room. I'm really busy, you see." "Oh, it's alright!" Ino said, "You don't have to apologize about anything! I like messy fashion designer rooms! It shows me just how much you're engrossed in your job!" Sakura smiled and said, "I'm glad you see it that way, Ino. Now, shall we proceed to the photo studio? Sasuke's waiting."

"Sasuke? But what is _he _doing there?" Ino asked.

"Sasuke's my assistant _and _photographer when he's not busy in Naruto's office." Sakura replied, "He helps a lot and I'm glad he's here!"

Ino smiled. "You must be very happy you two are married. How I wish my future husband will be just as great as Sasuke is!"

"Don't worry, dreams can come true." Sakura said, patting Ino's back, "For now, we have photos to shoot! You'll be modeling my fabulous new designs! Ahhh! Let's go!"

The two of them walked to the next room. There was a freezing sensation as soon as the two of them got in. "I hope you don't mind," Sasuke said, "It was kinda hot in here, so I turned on the air conditioner."

"That's alright, dear!" Sakura said, "Have you got the camera?"

"The lights are fixed as well." Sasuke replied, "And your designs are in the closet."

"Thank you, Sasuke! You're precious!" Sakura then, kissed Sasuke on the cheek and walked to the closet. "Follow me," she said to Ino, "I'll show you which one you'll wear first." Ino followed her, leaving Sasuke standing there, with the camera. Sakura opened the door. Ino was amazed by what she saw. It wasn't an ordinary closet; it was a walk-in closet full of beautiful clothes and shoes and jewelry. It was like Sakura owned the whole mall. Lots of clothes hanging on racks, pairs of shoes polished like they're brand new, fabulous high-heeled sandals and sparkling gems… Ino froze. "What's the matter?" Sakura asked. "Nothing." Ino replied, "It's just that I've never seen anything as cool as this! Sakura, you're awesome!"

"Heheh," Sakura chuckled, "Darling, I know."

Sakura led Ino deeper into the closet and stopped to look for the first outfit Ino had to wear. Ino's jaws dropped open as she passed hundreds of stunning clothes. She browsed through the marvelous creations until she found a sexy red dress she had made just a few weeks ago. It had spaghetti straps, a long, flowing skirt with a long slit on the right side. It had red laces around the waistline and tiny silver beads were delicately sewed on the chest part. It was one of the most beautiful dresses Ino has ever seen in her life.

"Wanna wear this one?" Sakura asked, flaunting the dress in front of Ino, "I made it a few weeks ago."

"Yes, I would!" Ino replied, with sparkling eyes, "It's-it's beautiful! It's strikingly gorgeous! I love it!"

"Good! Now, choose something to wear on your feet." Sakura said. She pushed a button and a shoe rack suddenly popped in from out of nowhere.

"Sugoi!" Ino exclaimed. Then, she knelt down and looked at different types of shoes and sandals. It wasn't long 'til she finally chose which to match the dress with. "This one!" she stammered, "This goes perfectly with that dress!" She then brought out a red pair of high-heeled sandals with laces to wrap around her legs.

"Good choice." Sakura said, pushing the button once again, putting the shoe rack back to its place. "Let's go and get glam!" They walked to a huge mirror. Ino sat down on a soft, comfy chair. "It's time to beautify you!!!" Sakura yelled, bringing out her makeup kit. She got to business. Ino closed her eyes and tried to wait patiently.

**Chapter 34- Flash!**

After a few minutes, she was ready. Ino was wearing that gorgeous dress, those lacy sandals and had powder and makeup on her face. Her hair was done as well. It was a high ponytail with curls at the end. She looked like a sexy ballroom queen in a red gown.

"Ahhh…" Sakura sighed, "Shikamaru would lust over you if he was here! Good! Now let's get out there and give the camera a big smile!"

The two of them walked out of the closet and met Sasuke. He became startled as soon as he saw Ino in that dress. "Okay, Ino!" Sakura said, "Give us a nice pose!"

Ino posed different poses in that dress. Sasuke clicked and clicked and clicked on until Sakura said, "Okay! It's time for a new outfit!" Then, she and Ino would go back inside the big closet to look for new outfits.

The second outfit was a rockstar outfit, with Ino wearing a black & white tube dress and stress denims under. She had a metal belt around her waist and wore high boots. Her hair was messed up for the bad-girl look and had an electric guitar hanging around her body.

"Okay! Smile!"

FLASH!

The third one was rather flirty. It was a light green dress with pink ruffles at the hem of the skirt. It had pink cherry blossoms printed on it. Ino wore flat white sandals with this and her hair was tied in loose braids.

"Pose for the camera! Pretend Shikamaru's here!"

FLASH!

The fourth outfit was a casual look. Ino wore a white denim jacket with a sky blue shirt that had the words 'KONOHA GIRL' printed on it. She wore a denim mini skirt, with rainbow colored knee socks and blue chucks. Her hair was tied in loose pigtails, kinda like Tsunade's hairstyle.

"Look cute!"

FLASH!

The fifth and last outfit was sported a beach-party-at-night-look. Ino wore a black shirt with a purple skirt with lighter purple flowers printed on it. She had a thin white ribbon around her waist and had a flower on her head.

"That's right, Ino! Be a beach babe!"

FLASH!

"Okay! Let's wrap things up." Sakura said, "You did great on your first day, Ino. Here, ten thousand Ryo for a job well done!"

Ino was speechless as she got the envelope of money from Sakura's hand.

"I'll send the pictures over to the editors of Paradise™ Magazine." She said, "If they like the pictures, you can become an official model! I'll tell you when you come back next weekend, okay?"

"O-okay…" Ino replied, "Gee, Sakura! I don't know what to say…"

"You don't have to say anything." Sakura said, placing her hand on Ino's left shoulder, "The November issue of Paradise™ might come next week. I'll make sure your pictures are there, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Well, I'll be seeing you!"

"Bye! And thanks!"

"Bye, Ino."

Ino went out of the mansion. As soon as she got to the gate, Shikamaru was standing outside, waiting for her. The gates opened and she got out. "Shikamaru, you're right on time!" she said.

"So, how was it?" Shikamaru asked, "Did'ya have fun?"

"You bet I did!" Ino smiled, "My pictures might appear in the next issue of Paradise™ Magazine!"

"So desu ka?" Shikamaru replied, "Then in that case, I'll watch out for it! Let's grab some coffee at Starbucks now."

"Okay!"


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34- Coffee for Two, Just Me and You**

As Shikamaru drove to Starbucks, Ino looked outside the window, still seeing the foggy gray sky.

"I still kinda like the sunny bright sky way better…" she said to herself.

"What?" Shikamaru asked, hearing her.

"Nothing…" she replied. Then, she turned to face him. She asked, "Shikamaru, I've been dying to ask you something for quite a while now…"

"What is it?" he asked, "If you're gonna ask if I've ever dated anyone, the answer's no."

"No, it's nothing like that." Ino replied, "It's just that… When we were kids, you used to annoy me a lot. And now, you're being a gentleman to me… Tell me, Shikamaru…

…why exactly are you helping me?"

Shikamaru gulped and sighed and looked at the car in front of him. "Because," he said, "We were once best friends. You, Choji and I were. I'd hate to see my friends suffering. I'd kill myself of guilt if I just sat here, doing nothing. That's why I'm helping you."

"Oh. I see." Ino blushed. She dimmed her eyes and said, "Thank you, Shikamaru. You're doing a lot for me." She smiled at him and Shikamaru smiled back at her. The two remained quiet for the meantime, until they finally reached Starbucks…

"Good morning and welcome to Starbucks- Konoha Branch!" was the greeting they got from the lady at the counter. "Please feel free to order anything you like!"

"Well, what'll it be?" Shikamaru asked, "I'm having coffee, would you like some too?"

"I, uh…" Ino replied nervously, "I've never actually drunken coffee in my life… It's gonna be my first time,"

"Good, I'll order some for you too, then." Shikamaru said, "I'm tellin' ya, once you take a sip, you'll feel energized. You'll feel like you went to heaven."

Shikamaru walked up to the counter and told the lady, "Two mocha frappes, please."

"Your name, sir?"

"Address it to 'Ino'."

"HEY!" Ino yelled.

"Let's grab a seat. I'm tired of standing…" Shikamaru said. The two of them walked to two comfy chairs and sat down.

Ino tapped her fingers on the glass table as funky jazz music played. There weren't much people in the establishment, so it was peaceful and quiet.

"So… Tell me more about your first day at work." Shikamaru said, "I'd love to hear more."

"Oh, yes!" Ino said, suddenly remembering something. Shikamaru watched closely as she brought something from her pocket. "Here!" she said, "Sakura gave me 10,000 Ryo for the job."

"Wow, that's good to hear." Shikamaru answered, "Guess that means you won't be using any more of _my _money, huh?"

"Heh… Yeah, guess so." Ino laughed.

"Two mocha frappes for Ino!" said a voice, followed by two dings of a bell.

"I'll get it for you." Shikamaru said, getting up from his seat. Ino watched him as he got two plastic cups of delicious-looking coffee from the counter. She continued gazing at him as we walked back, carrying the mocha frappes in his hands.

"One for you." he said, as he handed a cup over to Ino, "And one for me. Okay! Let's start drinking. It's definitely much better than sake."

"Okay!" Ino said, smiling. She slowly sipped from her cup and swallowed the coffee that went inside her mouth. "Mmmm!" she said with delight, "This is awesome! You're right, it's definitely much better than wine and champagne!"

"Told 'ya." Shikamaru answered, smiling at her, "After this, whaddya wanna do next?"

"I don't know," Ino replied, "Wait… Don't you have documents to fix? Tomorrow's already a Monday and you've got work!"

"I fixed everything while you were in Sakura's place." He said, "I'm done with those documents."

"Oh…" Ino sighed, "Well, why don't we just drive back to your place and take a nap? Honestly, I'm feeling kinda tired… Modeling was hard work!"

"Okay," Shikamaru answered, "That sounds like a good idea to me."

Then, he called out, "Um, miss! May we have our bill, please? Oh, and stick it to Blondie's tab, okay?"

"SHIKAMARU!!!"


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35- One Lazy Morning**

As soon as they got back to Shikamaru's place, Ino quickly took off her shoes and ran upstairs to her room to sleep.

"Should I order us something for lunch?" Shikamaru called out to her from the dining area.

There was no reply.

"Ah, already asleep, I see." Shikamaru smirked, "Okay, then… I'll go order something… I wonder if a pizza delivery sounds nice…"

He walked to the side table and dialed the Konoha Pizza Hotline.

"Um, hello?... Yeah… May I order a box of pepperoni pizza with extra cheese?... Okay…"

Meanwhile, upstairs, Ino sleeps soundly on a soft, comfy bed in an air conditioned room. She was as still as the serene river and also as cute as a little kitten. She was sleeping so peacefully, not a noise could wake her up. After making a call, Shikamaru walks inside her room to check up on her. He smiles upon seeing her sleeping on a bed, looking like a fairytale princess waiting for her prince to kiss her and release her from the sleeping spell. He walks to her bedside, kneels down and holds her face tenderly.

"You know," he whispered, "You look kinda cute when you're sleeping. It's really quiet and I enjoy the peace." Then, he sighed, "But the truth is, I sometimes like it when you yell at me like you always do. During all those years that you weren't with me, I kinda missed that high, squeaky voice that would nag me and scream at me, for no reason at all. I even missed the way you used to annoy me back when we were in Asuma's team. I know it hurts you when I say 'no'. I know you really like me, Ino. I also wanna be honest with you and show you how I feel. But I don't think I'm the kinda guy you're likely to end up with… You deserve someone better. I'm not even sure I can stand being in a relationship… Stay with me 'til the right one comes for you. I'll take care of you 'til the time comes. Then, once your dashing prince comes for you on his white stallion, leave this place and forget all about me… Forget all the times we had. I'll be alright, don't worry."

Shikamaru slowly stands up and walks on his way to the door. Then, he pauses and says, "But if you believe that no one else can enter your heart except me, Ino, tell me… And let me in." Then he walks out of the room and goes into his own room to take a nap.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36- The Uchiha Reunion- Part II**

Knock, knock…

"Darn… It's ten in the morning… Who could it be now?"

Sasuke walks up to the door and opens it. He's surprised to see Itachi standing there once again, looking at him straight in the eye.

"Hello, dear brother. We meet again."

"Oh, great," Sasuke snorted, "It's you again. Whaddya want now?"

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, but I seem to have forgotten something again…"

"Forgotten something?"

"Yeah, and I need the keys to our old house."

"Hargh. Fine, I'll come with you."

Then, Sasuke calls out to Sakura, "I'll be gone for a while, but I'll be back in a few minutes, okay, honey?"

"Okay!" Sakura called out, "Don't look at any other girls while you're out, got that? Or it'll be your funeral, mister!"

"Yes, dear, I promise!"

Then, Sasuke and Itachi walk outside and to their old house. As soon as they got there, Sasuke put the key in and turned the knob and opened the door for his older brother.

"Make it quick," he said, "I still have to help Sakura with the photos."

"Okie-dokie!" Itachi said, smiling. And off he went to his room, leaving Sasuke waiting outside the house.

After a few minutes, Itachi came back outside, looking giddy and satisfied. "Okay, I'm done!" he said, "Thanks for all your help."

"Yeah, whatever." Sasuke growled, "So… What is it you forgot this time?"

"Why do you want to know?" Itachi asked, winking at his younger sibling, "You always love nosing in other people's business, don't you?"

"I'm just curious." Sasuke replied, "Now tell me what it is."

Slowly, Itachi reached underneath his long, Akatsuki coat and brought out…

A PINK BUNNY!!!

"I was wondering where Mister Snuggles was!" he said, "I've been looking for him for years and I left him in my room the whole time! Thank goodness he's still in tact…"

Sasuke's eye twitched as he watched Itachi cuddling up to the stuffed rabbit.

"Oh, Mister Snuggles!" Itachi said, "I've been such a bad owner! How dare I leave you at home for so long! Don't worry, we'll be together from now on! I'll never ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever…"

SASUKE: (sighs)

"…never ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever…"

"Are you done yet!?"

"…never ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever…"

"Aw, crap."

"…never ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever-ever leave you again!"

Then, Itachi turns to Sasuke and says, "Thank you once again for your kindness, dear brother. I will now leave for Akatsuki. Say bye-bye, Mister Snuggles."

ITACHI: (moves Mister Snuggles' hand)

"We'll get going now! Farewell. Until we meet again, Sasuke."

SASUKE: … Man.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37- Candlelight Dinner…**

"Wake up, Ino, wake up. It's seven in the evening, you've been sleeping for nine hours straight! You haven't even had your lunch yet…"

"What? Lunch? OH MY GOSH!!! It _is _seven o' clock! I'm so sorry, Shikamaru! I overslept!"

"Hell, yeah, you did. Hey, I ordered a pizza delivery for lunch this afternoon and since you wouldn't wake up, I saved the whole box for the two of us to eat tonight. I wasn't that hungry anyway."

"You did? Wow, that's so sweet of you!"

Shikamaru blushed a little, "Uh, yeah. Come downstairs so we can eat, okay? Man, I'm starving!"

Shikamaru went out of the room and went downstairs. Ino followed him and was surprised to see nothing on the dinner table! No plates, no glasses, no spoons and no forks… The table had absolutely nothing on it.

"Where is everything?"

"Psst, out here, stupid."

"What? Oh…"

Ino followed Shikamaru out to the garden. As soon as she got out, she found Shikamaru sitting on a chair, with all the stuff on the table in front of him. And what's more, there was a lighted candle on the table. Ino blushed very hard as she saw this.

"Shi… Shikamaru!" she gasped, "A candle light dinner? You shouldn't have…"

"Aww, c'mon." Shikamaru smirked, "Dinner inside the house was starting to get boring, so I prepared _this_ instead. And a candlelight dinner saves electricity in the house, so… Ino?"

Ino was blushing, looking at him lovingly. Shikamaru tried to avoid eye contact, but still kept on blushing as well. "Yeah, yeah…" he said, "Get all mushy with me all you want… But I'm tellin' ya, it's not going to work!"

Ino laughed and replied, "Okay, okay, I'll stop!" Then she sat down. The two of them started eating freshly-heated-from-the-microwave-pizza and enjoyed steaming hot cups of coffee.

"Coffee at night?" Ino asked, "I've never heard of such thing."

Shikamaru looked at her, smiled and said, "Remember the feeling you get when you drink coffee?"

"Yeah," Ino replied, "It made me feel like I was in heaven."

"Exactly," Shikamaru answered, "Coffee for dinner! 'Cause tonight, I wanna make you feel like you're in heaven with me, Ino."

Ino blushed even more and asked him, "Really?"

"Yes, really…" Shikamaru said, gazing at her. Then, he suddenly snapped out of it. "Oh, damn! What the hell am I saying!? Urgh… Keep eating!"

"Heheh… Okay."

Shikamaru suddenly became serious, but still blushing, and stopped looking at the girl sitting in front of him. Ino, on the other hand, felt like she was in a romantic movie, and kept on glancing at Shikamaru and blushing at him. She felt a feeling of excitement and felt her heart beating faster as the minutes passed. She felt like she was in paradise with the man she loved the most.

"Shikamaru," Ino said shyly.

"Hmm? What is it?" Shikamaru replied, still chewing his food.

"I, uh… I really like you, Shikamaru." She said.

"Yes, I know that already." Shikamaru answered, "It's quite obvious by the way you're blushing right now and by the way you won't stop looking at me."

"You saw me?" she asked.

"Well, duh." Shikamaru answered, "You're sitting right in front of me. Of course I'd see you."

"Oh… Okay…" Ino sighed, "I just wanted you to know that."

Ino started playing with her fingers again, wondering what to say to him next. "Um… Um… Uh…"

"Okay, I'm full. I'm going upstairs now. My boss just sent me some work online, so I have to get busy. Could 'ya wash the plates for me tonight? I hope you don't mind,"

"It's okay. I don't mind."

"Thanks, Ino."

Slowly, as he rose from his seat, Ino watched him walking back into the house. She had mixed emotions of passion and sadness in her heart at that time. Shikamaru walked away, trying to hide his feelings for her. He felt a bit sad as he left her, sitting there all alone. He wanted to tell her. He wanted to go on dates with her. He wanted to hold her in his arms. He wanted to propose to her and marry her. All of those things, he wanted. But he just couldn't. He believed he just wasn't the type of guy who could take care of someone like her. He felt useless to her.

"Sigh. Ino… I know it hurts you now that I have just walked away and left you there. I'm sorry… Truly, I am…"


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38- Snowy Monday Morning**

It was starting to get cold. The windows were opened in Ino's room and the freezing wind blew inside. Upon feeling the frosty air, Ino slowly woke up and yawned. As she stretched her arms, she was surprised to see tiny white flakes falling outside her window. She gasped and ran to Shikamaru's room. But as soon as she got inside, there was nobody there.

"Shikamaru?" she called, "Where are you, Shikamaru?"

She looked around the room and found a note on Shikamaru's bed. 'To Ino', it read. She picked the letter and read it:

_Ino,_

_I'm off to work. I'll be back by seven p.m. tonight. I placed your breakfast on the table and if you can, kindly prepare dinner before I get home. Thanks._

_-Shikamaru_

_P.S. Your snow gear's in the left side of the closet. Enjoy the snow!_

"Oh, Shikamaru!" Ino smiled, "Such a sweet guy you are." She went outside the room and walked downstairs, finding a plate of hamburger steak and rice with gravy and mushrooms. She smiled again, then walked to take hr seat. As she ate, snow continued to fall outside the window. Lots of snow piled up on the ground, looking soft and puffy like clouds. After she was done, Ino ran to Shikamaru's room, opened the left side of the closet and found a shopping bag inside. She quickly grabbed it and brought out the puffy purple jacket, her boots and the rest of her snow gear and ran outside to play in the snow.

She laid herself down on the white frosty wonders of winter and gazed at the snow that fell from the sky. It was misty and gray, but Ino was still smiling. She enjoyed creating snow angels, she loved making snowmen and singing Christmas songs in the snow. The only thing missing was the man she loved the most. Too bad he was too busy at work to come play in the snow with her.

After a few minutes, Ino went back inside the house and tossed her scarf aside. She slid off her jacket and went to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate. She sniffed the steam that rose from the cup and slowly sipped the delicious chocolate that had marshmallows and whipped cream. After finishing one cup, she licked the cream around her lips. Having nothing else to do, Ino turned on the television and watched for hours.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39- Sing-along Time with Choji**

"It's so nice to have you guys over on the first day it snows! Here, have a seat."

Choji invited Naruto, Sasuke, Kiba, Neji and Lee over since they had nothing else to do. The six of them sat in a circle in Choji's living room, wondering what to do.

"Okay, now that we're here… What do we do!?" Kiba asked, "I'm so darn bored! Shino drove me crazy last night…"

"Really? Sasuke gave me a nice, hot bath!" Naruto smiled. Sasuke blushed hard and tried to ignore everyone in the room.

"You guys wanna sing?" Choji asked them, "I've got a karaoke machine!!"

"Nah, you sing alone…" Lee replied, "I'm not in a groovy mood today… Gai-sensei's got a bad cold!"

"That's a bummer." Naruto said, "Aw, cheer up, Lee! I'm sure the old dude's just tired!"

Suddenly, Choji brought out the microphone and pushed some buttons.

"What'cha gonna sing, Choji?" Neji asked.

In big bold letters, flashed on the screen was the title of the song: FIVE IN THE BED.

"Five in the bed…" Kiba read, "Isn't that a nursery song!?"

"Ooh! Is that the song that goes like this?" Naruto asked, "Five in the bed and the little one said, 'Roll over, roll over?'"

"Yup! That's the one!" Choji answered.

"But that's a nursery song!" Kiba repeated, "Why the heck is a grown-up man going to sing a dumb nursery song!?"

"I kinda played with the words here!" Choji laughed, "So listen up!"

The music played, and Choji began singing…

_Five in the bed, Shikamaru said, "Roll over! Roll over!" So they all rolled over and Lee fell out…_

"_GAI-SENSEI!!!"_

_Four in the bed, Shikamaru said, "Roll over! Roll over!" So they all rolled over and Kiba fell out…_

"_ARF!"_

"_Huh? OH MY GOD, I SQUASHED AKAMARU!!!"_

KIBA: Hey! That wasn't very nice, Choji!

_Three in the bed, Shikamaru said, "Roll over! Roll over!" So they all rolled over and Naruto fell out…_

"_Oh, Sasuke!!! You're so hot!!!"_

NARUTO & SASUKE: blush

_Two in the bed, Shikamaru said, "Roll over! Roll over!" So they all rolled over and Choji fell out…_

_-Ka-BOING!-_

_One in the bed and Shikamaru said, "Okay, Ino! Let's sleep together!"_

_Good night!_

"Awww, that was so cute…" Naruto sighed, "I bet Shikamaru would love to hear that song!"

"Thanks!" Choji smiled, "So… You guys wanna get some pizza?"

"PIZZA!?" Lee stammered, "HELL YEAH!!!"

The four of them- Choji, Naruto, Lee, and Kiba formed a line and marched to the telephone chanting, "Pizza! Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!"

"Let's pretend that we don't know them…" Neji told Sasuke, "'Cause honestly, these guys are an embarrassment to nature…"

"Okay, whatever you say, Neji…"

"Pizza! Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!"


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40- Snowy Afternoon**

Ring… Ring…

"Hello, good afternoon? Oh, I'm sorry; he's busy at work… Huh? M-hmm, yes… Okay… I'll tell him when he gets here. Okay, goodbye!"

Hours have passed and it was already three in the afternoon. Ino was busy dusting the furniture. She was wearing a frilly white apron and a bandana as she was cleaning the place up. While she was dusting the living room, the doorbell rang suddenly. Ino rushed outside, surprised to see Shikamaru's car right outside the gate.

"Wow, he's home early!" Ino said, opening the gate. The car drove inside, leaving trails on the snow. Ino closed the gate and waited for Shikamaru to come out of his vehicle.

"Yo." Shikamaru greeted as he came out of the car, "It's nice to see you doing the housework."

"Uh… Yeah, I was dusting the furniture and… Hey, why're you back so soon? Weren't you supposed to be back at seven?" Ino asked, "It's only three in the afternoon."

"I asked my boss if I could come home early since I've done the papers already." Shikamaru answered, "She agreed and here I am! Let's get inside, it's freezing out here."

Shikamaru walked inside his house with Ino behind him. After the door was closed, Shikamaru took his coat off and threw it on the sofa. Then, he dunked himself into the soft, whoppee couch and turned the television on. "Could'ya get me some coffee?" he asked, "I need something warm."

"I made some hot chocolate, if you like…" Ino answered, "I'll steam it up for you!"

"Sure." Shikamaru agreed, "I'll have some chocolate instead."

Ino walked to the kitchen and grabbed a packet of powdered chocolate from the cupboard. She put it in a cup and poured in some hot water. She stirred and she stirred then called out, "Would you like some whipped cream, Shikamaru?"

"Sure!" Shikamaru answered back, "And some chocolate syrup too, if you don't mind."

Ino quickly finished making the hot chocolate and handed it over to Shikamaru. He sniffed it and slowly sipped from his green cup. "Hmmm, this isn't bad!" he said, "This is really tasty; I like it!"

Ino blushed and smiled at him. "Really? I'll make you some hot chocolate anytime you want!"

"That's nice. Thank you." Shikamaru replied. It was blissful being together with Ino in the afternoon, drinking hot chocolate on a cold day in winter. He felt relaxed for a while, but after a few minutes, his heart began to throb and he started feeling uneasy. He was bothered by his love. He wanted to love Ino, but he wanted the relationship to last forever. He didn't want anyone to get hurt. Though he wanted to keep silent about everything, he couldn't hesitate to tell her about how he feels about her, so he just had to ask, "Ino, may I talk to you after this?"

"Talk to me?" Ino answered, "About what?"

"You'll see."

Shikamaru smiled at her and continued drinking from his cup. Ino just looked at him, wondering what he might want to talk to her about. When he was finally finished, the two of them went up to Shikamaru's room to talk.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41- The Kiss that Finally Had the Spark…**

The door was shut and it was just the two of them in the room. Shikamaru sat down on his bed and invited Ino over to sit down beside him. Ino slowly bent down and sat next to him, still curious and anxious about what he's going to say to her. Shikamaru was about to talk, but then something pulled him back. He didn't know how to start the conversation.

"Umm, Ino…" he began, "Tell me… I know you've been having a great time with me and all, but I'd like to know… How many guys have you been with back when you were… You know, a stripper. I'm just curious, that's all."

"Huh?" Ino gasped, "Why are you asking?"

"Look, I know it's kinda awkward…" Shikamaru answered, "I just want to know…"

Ino looked at him and sighed. She looked down, tried her best to smile and replied, "I've lost count, actually… I've done it more than twenty times, I think."

"More than twenty times, huh?" Shikamaru sighed, "Okay… That's all I wanted to know."

But then, Ino went on, "Yes, I've done it more than twenty times. But nothing happened. No matter how many handsome men came up to me, I didn't feel anything towards them. My heart was always calling out somebody else's name. It kept on seeking for someone who would truly care for me and love me. Those men only wanted me, turning me into one of their little toys… They turned me into some play thing."

"I'm so sorry." Shikamaru said, "I shouldn't have asked you that question."

"Oh no, it's okay." Ino replied, "I've actually wanted to talk to you about this a long time ago… I just didn't have the nerve to do so. I never thought you'd actually listen to my story!"

"What the… That's just stupid." Shikamaru told her, "Ino, I… I'm your friend. And I'll always be here to listen to whatever story you have. So, go on."

"Alright." Ino replied, "I've had affairs with so many men but none of them had that certain spark. Each one of them tossed me aside every time they saw a much prettier girl to toy with. It's just not fair; can't I have a real relationship that could last?"

Tears started falling from her eyes. "I'm sorry, Shikamaru." She said, "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. In fact, I'm glad I met you. You were the one who rescued me from that hell… Now I'm sure no one will ever hurt me again."

Shikamaru gently rubbed her back and brought out a handkerchief. "Aww, stop crying." He said comfortingly, "I don't like seeing a lady cry, honestly. You might think I'm pretty selfish at times, but I'm actually a gentleman. Don't cry."

Ino sniffed and wiped her tears. "Thanks, Shikamaru." She said, "I always knew I could count on you to make me feel better."

The man looked at her with pity. His heart was so moved, he couldn't stop himself. Shikamaru slowly wrapped his arms around her, making Ino's eyes grow bigger. She blushed then closed her eyes.

"Ino," Shikamaru said gently, "Don't worry. You won't get hurt anymore as long as I'm here. I'll be here for you until the true one finally comes. I'll wait until then."

"You don't have to wait." Ino replied softly, "Because I think I've already found the true one. He's always been here for me. When I was in grief, he took my hand, pulled me up and showed me a brighter life to spend. He taught me that life's darkness shouldn't make me stop looking for the light. He taught me that my future didn't lie in a dark pit full of sorrow… He showed me the way back to happiness. I'm glad I met him after all these years."

"Ino…" Shikamaru said, "Are you sure that he's the true one? Are you sure you could trust him?"

"Believe me, Shikamaru." Ino replied, slowly putting her arms around him, "I've trusted him ever since the day we first met."

"You sure you won't leave him for another man?" Shikamaru asked her.

"I'm sure." Ino answered, "I'm sure he's the one. Of all the men who have approached me, he was the only one who helped me and cared for me. I love him so much."

"Then in that case…"

Shikamaru gently held Ino's face, stroking each soft cheek with his hand and looking at her ever so tenderly. Ino continued blushing as she looked into his dark eyes. Shikamaru soothingly put his finger under Ino's cheek, slowly moving her head forward to kiss him. As they moved closer to each other, the two of them could feel something inside them.

"Is this what you wanted?" Shikamaru asked softly, being one inch away from her.

"Yes, it is." Ino replied, "It's the spark I've been dying to feel for ages… I can finally feel it…"

Closer and closer they went, until their lips finally met. Shikamaru slowly slid his hands down until he was touching Ino's hips. Ino tightened her grasp as she savored Shikamaru's passionate kiss. It was lovely. Ino finally found the one. She was fulfilled. She cherished every second they kissed. Fire was burning inside them, the spark was electrifying.

"Shikamaru," Ino whispered softly, "I can finally feel it…"

"I'm glad I could make you feel it, Ino." Shikamaru answered, smiling gently at her, "I promise I'll never toy with you. I'll love you the love you've been wanting for so long."

"Shikamaru…"

The two of them hugged each other as the cold wind blew outside. The fire of their love was keeping them warm. Ino smiled sweetly as she closed her eyes. Shikamaru's hot breath was blowing next to her. Ino felt it blowing on her neck. They've finally found a love that would last.

**ADVISORY: THIS FANFIC IS NOT FINISHED YET. WAIT FOR MORE CHAPPIES TO COME!!! THANKS. -SK**


	42. Chapter 42

**Hello, guys… Sorry to interrupt at the beginning of a new chapter, but I kinda messed up with the chapter-ings in chapters 33-34, I think. The original chapter 34 was joined-in together with chapter 33, so the chapter 34 NOW is actually supposed to be chapter 35. But hey! Who cares anyway! The important thing is that the story is moving, and well, yeah, Shikamaru and Ino are together now. Hooray for them! I just wanted to inform you guys… Thanks. –SK ;-)**

**---------**

**Chapter 42- Have you Heard the News? It's an Exclusive One!**

So there. After the whole thing was said, Shikamaru and Ino had finally confessed their love for one another. Shikamaru may have been very defensive in the beginning, but somehow, he just can't keep hiding his feelings from Ino and from the world. He suddenly just blurted everything out to her.

"I suddenly just blurted everything out to her, Choji!"

It was a Tuesday morning and Shikamaru was at his desk, talking to Choji on the phone.

"And how do you feel about that?" Choji asked.

"How do I feel? Oh, I feel great." Shikamaru answered, "I'm glad I don't have to hide anything from anyone anymore. I'm glad I spoke to her about it."

"It's a good thing you finally realized you should tell a girl you like her if you really like her!" Choji replied, "I'm happy for the both of you."

"Thanks." Shikamaru said, "Never have you left me. You were always there when I needed you, Choji."

"That's what friends do, right?" Choji laughed, "I'll never leave your side, old buddy!"

"Thanks again. Oh wait, I have a client. Talk to you later, okay?"

"Sure. Bye-bye, loverboy!'

Meanwhile, in Shikamaru's mansion, Sakura came over to sew Ino ANOTHER outfit…

"What are you going to make this time?" Ino asked, "Wait, weren't we supposed to meet again on Saturday?"

"Yes, we were." Sakura replied, measuring Ino's body, "But ever since the day of the photo shoot, I can never stop thinking about the new designs I'm gonna make for you! I'm getting so obsessed, I can't stop!"

Ino laughed. "You must really love your job, don't you?"

"Yes! I love my job just as much as I love my Sasuke-kun!" Sakura replied, "So… Tell me… I've been away from you for a few days and I've been wondering… Has anything happened between the two of you yet?"

"The two of us?" Ino asked, "You mean me and Shikamaru?'

"Yes, the two of you!" Sakura replied, "Well, have you got any news for me?"

"Well…" Ino's face began to turn red and tried to hide from Sakura. She meekly smiled and tried to turn away from the pink-haired girl who was staring at her, waiting for an answer. Sakura looked at Ino as she turned her head away.

"Ah, I see what's going on!" Sakura smirked, giving Ino a sly look, "You've finally confessed, haven't you?"

Slowly and shyly, Ino turned around to face Sakura again. She blurted out with a big "YES!" Then she started jumping up and down, holding Sakura's hands. "Isn't it great?" she exclaimed, "I told him just how much I love him and how much no one can ever take his place in my heart and do you know what he said?"

"What?" Sakura asked, partially sweating.

"He said that he would never hurt me or make me feel miserable or… or…"

"So does that mean that Shikamaru feels the same way towards you too?"

Ino once again exploded with a big "YEEEEEEEESSSS!!! And we kissed and we hugged, it was all so magical!"

"Congratulations to the both of you!" Sakura replied, dancing along with her blonde friend, "Tell me when I should make your wedding dress."

"YAAAAY!"

The two of them squealed in excitement and danced on around the room, forgetting about all their worries in life… Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"Now, who could that be?" Ino asked, still standing on the stool.

"I'll go get it." Sakura said. She walked to the door, went outside and opened the gate. She was surprised to see Hinata and Tenten standing outside, in their winter clothes.

"Hey!" Tenten greeted, "We came here for a little chat with you and Ino. Are you guys busy at the moment?"

"Oh, no, it's alright!" Sakura replied, "Actually it _was _getting kind of boring with just the two of us in there. Please, come inside, it's cold."

Sakura led Tenten and Hinata into the house. The wind was blowing strongly in the village. Sakura shut the door and took off her scarf.

"Hey, Ino!" Tenten greeted.

"Oh, hey, guys!" Ino replied, still on the stool, "What are you doing here?"

"We thought we'd have a talk with you!" Hinata answered, "I mean, since Neji and Kiba are over at Choji's today."

"Oh, I see."

"Ino," Sakura called, "Could you prepare these ladies two steaming cups of hot chocolate, please? It's really cold!"

"Sure, it would be my pleasure." Ino answered, jumping off the stool. "Once you girls try my hot cocoa, you'll get so addicted you'll be begging for more! Even Shikamaru said so!"

"Shikamaru, huh?" Tenten said, looking at Ino while smiling and raising an eyebrow, "How've ya been lately?"

Ino said nothing. Instead, she gasped and ran to the kitchen.

"I have a feeling something juicy went on…" Tenten told Sakura, "Well, have you heard anything lately? She _is _your best friend!"

"If there's anything going on, I think it would be much better if it were Ino telling us!" Sakura replied, "If she doesn't wanna tell us anything, well, we're gonna find out one way or another anyway! There's nothing that girl can hide from us!"

After a few minutes, Ino finally came out, carrying two hot mugs. She gave them to Tenten and Hinata and then sat down on the sofa, hoping her friends have already forgotten about their discussion regarding Shikamaru. At first, she thought she was saved, seeing Tenten enjoying her drink. But then, she suddenly asked…

"So, has Shikamaru said anything to you? Has he said anything about love, per se?"

Ino once again tried to hide her face form everyone, shrugged and said nothing. She looked like a crab that was too scared to come out of its shell. Like a caterpillar terrified of coming out of its cocoon, revealing its beautiful wings to the world.

"Ino, by the way you're acting, it's quite obvious, actually!" Hinata said, "There's no need to clam up!"

Ino, using her wits, replied, "Then if you guys already know about me and Shikamaru, why the hell are you even asking?"

"Um, Tenten," Sakura said, "Don'tcha think this is a little bit too personal for her to share?"

"More like very personal!" Tenten replied, "And that's exactly why I wanna hear all about it!"

"Okay, okay, I'll admit it." Ino said, "We confessed last night and, we kissed. It was all so beautiful! It's like my make-believe fairytale is coming true!"

"Oh yeah, baby! I was right!" Tenten yelled, punching her fists in the air, "Something indeed _has _happened! Alrightie, sister… Tell me everything you said last night! Don't miss anything out! Give me every single detail, understood?"

Then, Ino started telling her friends about everything… Starting-off with their candlelight dinner the other night, until their confession. Tenten, being the most interested one in the group, gave all ears during Ino's storytelling session. Hinata listened as well, but there were some times during Ino's discussion when her mind was on Naruto. Sakura multitasked as she listened to her best friend's story and continued sewing the outfit she had been working on since the morning came. It was the biggest news. And it was just about to get bigger!


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43- Arigatou Itsumo, Tomodachi**

The day was coming to an end. It was still snowing, but you could clearly see the sun setting. The sky was turning orange and its tangerine color reflected down onto the icy, white snow. Noticing how late it was getting, Tenten and Hinata decided to head back home.

"Well, that was a nice chat!" Tenten said, "But it's getting late. I still have to prepare supper for Neji, Lee and Gai-sensei!"

"And I promised Kiba I'd help him out in cleaning the store." Hinata said.

"I see. Thanks for coming, it was nice to have you guys over!" Ino said, "I feel really good now that I've shared everything with you guys."

"Don't worry about anything!" Hinata said, "We promise we'll keep it all a secret! No one else will know that you two are in a relationship!"

Ino blushed and said, "Thanks."

Hinata and Tenten headed out the door, leaving Ino and Sakura in the living room. Sakura was sweating again as she pulled out the needle. Her hands had sores for she had been pricked by the needle many times. But she didn't complain about the pain, she just went on, sewing and sewing the outfit she had designed for her best friend.

"Sakura, are you sure you're alright?" Ino asked, "You've been working all day long and you're hands have scratches on them! You should get some rest. I'll apply some medicine to cure them…"

"No, don't worry, I'm fine!" Sakura replied, laughing, "I'm used to this. It's normal for me to get pricked by the needle. It's what I do and it's what I enjoy. I promised myself I'd finish this outfit for you today and unless that's done, I could never stop. I _will _finish this and I'll work 'til the very end to do that! It's my passion!"

Ino smiled at Sakura. Realizing how hard she's working just to give her another outfit, tears came falling from Ino's eyes. She started crying.

"Hey, you alright?" Sakura asked.

"I'm alright." Ino answered her, wiping her tears away, "Dust flew into my eyes, that's all!"

"Oh, okay." Sakura sighed. Then, she went on, sewing the outfit. "You know, I'm glad the two of us met. I've experienced new things ever since the day we became friends. I used to walk the streets alone back when I was new in the academy. Nobody ever cared to talked to me. They all laughed at this huge forehead of mine. I had no friends back then."

"Well, someone had to pull you outta that dark pit!" Ino laughed, "I don't like bullying!"

"Yeah… You know, I can't believe we fought over Sasuke!" Sakura guffawed, "It was really stupid. The two of us yelling and screaming, it was like World War II! All because of a boy, we became mortal enemies!"

"Yeah, I shoulda known back then that it was Shikamaru I'd be ending-up with!" Ino replied.

"Well, the important thing is that the two of us are friends again!" Sakura said, "Let's hope nothing comes between us ever again."

"Okay."

After a while, the outfit was finished. Sakura wiped-off her sweat with a towel and smiled as she saw Ino standing in front of her.

"I hope you like the kimono I made for you!" Sakura said, "It's not purple, but I think orange looks good on you too! The aqua-colored belt seems to match the entire outfit perfectly! And look, it's even got cherry blossoms on it! There's only one thing missing…"

Slowly, Sakura brought out a red butterfly hairpin from her pocket and carefully placed it in Ino's hair.

"There! Now, it's complete! Take a look at yourself now."

Ino slowly walked towards the huge mirror and gasped when she saw a beautiful lady in a kimono.

"Is this really me?" she asked.

"You bet!" Sakura replied, "I'm pretty sure of it now! You'd be able to seduce Shikamaru no matter what! You're such a pretty flower, he'd lust over you his whole life!"

Ino then turned around, ran to Sakura and hugged her. "Thank you so much!" she said, crying, "This is the prettiest kimono I've ever seen and worn!"

"Hey, anything for you, my pal!" Sakura replied, patting Ino's back.

Then, suddenly Shikamaru came in.

"I'm back from work!" he said, "Ah, good evening to you, Sakura. I didn't know that you were coming over."

"Good evening to you too, Shikamaru-san!" Sakura greeted back.

Then, Shikamaru blushed as he saw Ino in a kimono.

"Please don't tell me that's Ino." He said, "Because honestly, she's not that beautiful!"

Slowly, Ino stood up and said, "Well, too bad! 'Cause it _is _me, stupid!" Then, she smirked and said, "Not that beautiful, huh?"

"Okay, so it's you." Shikamaru smiled, "Hey there, gorgeous."

"Stop it. You're not Sai, okay?"

Sakura, knowing that her mission is complete, stood up and said, "I'll leave the two of you alone now! I still have to cook dinner! Bye!" Then, quickly, she ran for the door and went out. Shikamaru was left standing there, staring at Ino in that kimono. It was turning him on. But he knew that now wasn't the right time, so instead, he asked, "Wanna go out tonight?"

"As long as you promise to pay for everything this time," Ino replied, "I guess it's alright!"

"Good. Lemme just put my suitcase upstairs. Then, we'll get the fire burning."


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44- Freaky Akatsuki (This is just a commercial!)**

Knock… Knock…

"Oh good! Sakura's here, finally."

Sasuke had been waiting for his beloved wife for hours and hurried to get to the door.

"How's about a kiss, eh, sugar-pie?"

Shockingly, it wasn't Sakura standing outside the door. It was the dude with the Samehada… It was the fish man! The one and only Hoshigake Kisame… in da scales!

"Darn it. I was expecting my wife but instead an ugly fish freak shows up…" Sasuke frowned. "If you don't leave at the count of five, I swear I'm gonna turn you into sushi, got that? One…"

Sasuke started counting.

"Itachi asked me to watch over you while your wife still isn't here." Kisame said.

"Itachi… what!?"

"He asked me to baby sit you." Kisame answered.

"What does he think!?" Sasuke exploded, "Does Itachi still think I'm a kid!?"

"You may be a married man now, but in Itachi's eyes, you'll always be his sweet little brother!" Kisame said, squeezing Sasuke's cheeks, "Such a cutie y'are!"

"Yamero."

"I know! Let's have a puppet show!"

"I said stop it."

Kisame walked inside the house, carrying the Samehada.

"Hey! I didn't invite you in!"

"Shut up and watch…"

Sasuke looked at Kisame with an angry look and waited for something to happen. Finally, Kisame brought out a tiny shark puppet with a miniature version of the Samehada from his pocket and made it move.

"Say hello to Junior!" he said, making the doll dance, "Junior loves to play with people! Come on, Sasuke! Give Junior a big hug!"

"I am NOT going to hug a stupid fish doll." Sasuke replied, "I'd rather hug the toilet!"

"Now, now! Junior hates bratty little children!" Kisame said, "Now, you give him a hug or else!"

"That's it. I'm going to have a word with my older brother…" Sasuke stood up then grabbed Kisame by the collar. "Take me to your hideout," he said, "Or Sakura and I'll be having tuna sashimi tonight!"

JUNIOR: Junior doesn't like violence!

SASUKE: SHUT UP, YOU MISERABLE PILE OF COTTON!!!

JUNIOR: …

"Okay! Okay!" Kisame shouted, "I'll take you there! Just let go of the shirt already! It's strangling me to death! And stop bullying Junior already!"

Immediately, Sasuke let go of his shirt. Kisame put Junior back into his pocket, did a few seals and sliced out a portal with his Samehada.

"It's a portal to the Akatsuki Hideout." He said, "If you don't wanna die, you'd better have a good disguise first."

Kisame handed Sasuke an Akatsuki cloak. Sasuke immediately put it on and went inside the portal with Kisame.

It was a dark, mysterious place. It seemed empty. Then, a huge voice called out, "Password please,"

"Let me handle this," Kisame said, "The password is… 'SWEET CREAMY RUBBERDUCKY MARSHMALLOW PUDDING PIE WITH SUGAR, PINK PONIES AND SPRINKLES!!!"

Sasuke felt like puking and laughing his head off. "Darn, and they call themselves deadly rebel assassins!"

Then, the voice called out, "Confirmed. Welcome to Akatsuki, Kisame." Suddenly, hundreds of doors appeared.

"Itachi's room is over there." Kisame told Sasuke, pointing to the door right in front of him. "I'll be resting in my room, if you don't mind."

Sasuke walked towards the door Kisame pointed at, turned the knob and went inside. It was dark. Suddenly, he heard a icky, mushy, smooching sound. Finally, he found the light switch and turned the light on.

"Damn you! Can't you see that we're busy!?" Itachi yelled, "Oh, Sasuke-kun, it's you."

Sasuke couldn't believe his eyes. He was either about to barf or burst out laughing, because on the bed, he saw his older brother, together with another guy, naked, doing something very nasty…

"Oh, hello!" said the other guy, "You must be Sasuke!"

"Hello." Sasuke greeted back, quite grossed-out, "You must be Deidra…"

"I'm flattered! Has Itachi-kun been telling you things about me?" Deidra asked.

"Now that I see the two of you doing it, I don't even wanna know anything about you…" Sasuke replied.

"Sasuke, what are you doing here?" Itachi asked, holding Deidra's body.

"Mmm, Itachi-kun, that feels nice…"

"Well," Sasuke began, "Kisame just showed up and told me that _you _told him to baby sit me… IT WAS TORTURE!!! He and his annoying shark thing were killing me!!! Hey, are you even listening!?"

Itachi yawned then got a remote control from under his pillow. He pushed a button, making a portal appear beneath Sasuke's feet. Sasuke quickly fell in and was zapped back into his own house.

"Okay, Deidra, how about a homerun this time?"

"Sure! Sounds good to me, Itachi!"


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45- Japanese Date**

"Komban wa! Welcome to Sakamoto Sushi Bar!"

"Why'd you decide to go have a date in a Japanese restaurant?" Ino asked.

"The romantic Italian dinners were getting boring, so I brought you here instead." Shikamaru answered, "And besides, a girl in a kimono eating with a guy in a fancy French restaurant? I don't think so! It'll ruin the theme!"

"Oh, okay!"

As soon as they sat down, the waitress in a white kimono approached them and handed them a menu. The couple browsed through the choices and finally, made their order.

"We'll be having some ebi tempura please, and maybe some kani sashimi with wasabi and tofu."

"And your drinks, sir?"

"Some sake please."

"How about you, ma'am?"

"I'll have some Coke, if that's alright."

"Okay, please wait for your orders to be filled-in!"


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46- Is this it?**

After having dinner, the couple headed straight back home and had their evening shower. Right after she was done bathing, Ino quickly dressed into her comfortable yet seductive nighties and went straight to Shikamaru's room to wait for him to finish his bath. It was a long wait. Many minutes had already passed and still no one came out of the shower room. Shikamaru was still inside, cleansing himself with the oh-so-refreshing hot water. Ino sat on his bed quietly, but soon enough was starting to get very impatient.

"Oh, hurry up, will you?" she muttered while staring at the white bathroom door, "I've been waiting…"

Ten minutes have passed and still no one went out of the bathroom. Ino was getting bored while waiting; so bored that she fell fast asleep. She was on his bed, breathing peacefully like an angel sleeping on a fluffy cloud. She was resting calmly when finally the door opened. Steam came out of the bathroom as Shikamaru went out, wiping himself with a towel.

"Ah…" he sighed, "That was a nice bath…"

Upon coming out, he then saw his lover lying down serenely on his bed. He slowly sat down on the bedside and smiled sweetly as he stroked her hair.

"Did I ever tell you how cute I think you are when you're asleep?" he said, "Looks like I keep on forgetting to tell you when you're awake. But being as conceited as you are, I guess you already know that… Guess I won't have to tell you after all!" Then, he chuckled and walked to his closet to get dressed.

Ino, who was sleeping soundly on Shikamaru's soft, white bed… (Nope, it's not green anymore. He changed his sheets early this morning.) Again, I repeat, Ino, who was sleeping soundly on his bed, slowly opened her eyes. She saw a figure standing in front of her, getting something from the closet. She then realized that Shikamaru had finally gotten out of the bathroom.

"Oh, you're awake." Shikamaru said, "I'm sorry, was that my fault?"

"N-no, actually, I was waiting for you, Shikamaru." Ino replied, "What was taking you so long? I got so bored and fell asleep!"

"Forgive me." Shikamaru apologized, "The water was so warm, I just had to bathe some more."

"It's okay." Ino said, frowning a bit. Then, she saw Shikamaru putting his boxers on. "You getting dressed?" she asked.

"Of course I am!" Shikamaru chuckled, "I don't sleep naked, y'know…"

Ino frowned even more. "Um hey," she stammered, "I promised you I'd let you do anything you want with me, right?"

"Oh yeah." Shikamaru replied, "Sleep with me from now on, okay? We could share my bed!"

Ino frowned at her most when she heard this. Her face turned very, very, very red. "Hmph!" she growled. Shikamaru noticed how angry she was getting so he sat next to her and tried to cool her down.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked her while stroking her back.

Ino said nothing. She just continued frowning and growled some more.

"Ino…"

"HMPH!"

"Hey, come on… Tell me why you're mad. We've been together for only a short while and now you're getting mad at me and I don't even know the damn heck why!" Shikamaru stammered, "Was it something I said!?"

Immediately, Ino repeated what he had said to her a few moments ago: _"Sleep with me from now on, okay? _Some kinda guy you are!" Then, she stopped looking at him again and crossed her arms, "I was waiting for so long and that's it!? That's all you want to do!?"

Shikamaru then realized why she was so mad. He finally knew what she wanted. Slowly, wrapped his arms around her and put his mouth next to her neck. Ino tried her best not to blush, but she just couldn't help it when she felt Shikamaru's hot breath breathing close to her.

"Is this what you wanted?" Shikamaru asked her.

"N-no," Ino answered him, "I was expecting more, actually… I was kinda hoping you'd give it to me."

Unexpectedly, Shikamaru answered her, "I'm sorry but I can't do that."

"What?" Ino stammered, "But why not? We're together now, so why can't we?"

"I'm sorry Ino, but I promised myself I wouldn't have sex with you…" Shikamaru replied, "Not until we're married, at least. Don't worry, honey, after I place that wedding ring on your finger, we can get on with it."

Ino understood everything immediately. She understood Shikamaru's reasons and gave him a smile instead of a punch in the face. "Okay, I see." She said, "That's okay, I can wait until then."

"Good. I'm glad you understand why we can't do it just yet…" Shikamaru said, "You're kind, Ino. And that's one of the many reasons I fell for you…"

"It's okay if we can't do anything yet, Shikamaru." Ino said, "I'm fine with it!"

"Yeah, but it's a shame we can't do it yet, though…" Shikamaru told her. Suddenly, he pounced on top of Ino and put his mouth close to hers. "But we _can _do _this,_" he said. Ino blushed deeply once again and the couple shared their breathtaking kiss in bed.

"Mmmm… Mmmph…" they moaned. Afterwards, they started talking to each other about random things again. Then, their eyes started to get heavy until they finally fell asleep. Shikamaru's arms were around Ino's slim waist. They were sleeping soundly, so sweetly like they were sleeping in the heavens full of glowing stars.

The wind outside was cold, but their passionate love for one another kept them warm all throughout the cold night.


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47- Picture Perfect**

"Ino! You have to come here quick!"

"Why? What is it, Sakura?"

The two friends were talking to each other over the phone. Sakura sounded so happy and excited. She was filled with exuberance and anxiety. She talked to Ino so fast that Ino couldn't understand a word she was saying.

"Kakashi-sensei… What?" Ino asked, "I'm sorry, you're speaking too fast."

"Kakashi-sensei heard about you! From being a stripper to a top model living with a rich lawyer!" Sakura replied, "He wants to hear all about it! He's in my house right now and he wants to interview you. He was just hired as a writer for Paradise™ Magazine a week ago."

"Really? He wants to hear about my story?" Ino replied, "I dunno…"

"Come on!" Sakura insisted, "This could be Kakashi-sensei's big break! It'll be his first-ever article for Paradise™! It could be both of yours!"

"Go for it," said another voice.

"What? Who?"

It was Shikamaru on the other line. He had heard everything the girls were talking about. "Shikamaru, is that you?" Ino asked, "How dare you! Eavesdropper!"

"I picked it up just in case you were talking to another guy." Shikamaru answered, "I don't want anyone else to come close, y'see."

"Awww, how sweet!" Sakura exclaimed, "You're such a protective guy, Shikamaru! How sweet of you not wanting anyone else to come after Ino! I like that!"

"Sakura!" Ino stammered.

Then, there was a pause.

"Go for it, Ino." Shikamaru repeated, "I mean, imagine all the money you could get paid! And besides, you like attention, don't you?"

"Attention from _you,_ not from other people I don't even know!" Ino corrected, "Wait, you said Kakashi-sensei was going to be the one interviewing me… I don't trust that pervert!"

"Oh, I see." Sakura replied, "So that's what you're afraid of! Don't worry, he and Iruka are together anyway, so he won't do anything to you, I promise! If he does, Sasuke, Naruto and I are gonna kick his butt! Serves him for being so mean to us when we were kids!"

Ino giggled a bit and then replied, "Okay, I'll give it a shot. I'll be over in a few minutes." Then, she talked to Shikamaru. "Shikamaru, could you drive me over to Sakura's?"

"Sure." Shikamaru replied, "You know I'd do anything for you, Ino."

"Kawaii!" Sakura yelled, "Then in that case, I'll ask Kakashi-sensei to wait. See you, Ino!"

"Bye, Sakura!"

Immediately, she put down the phone and ran upstairs to her room to get dressed. She grabbed a denim mini skirt, a white belt, a sleeveless red shirt and high-heeled sandals. Then, she packed her makeup kit and ran to Shikamaru's room.

"Shikamaru!" she called.

"Oh, Ino." Shikamaru said, "You ready to go?"

"Of course!" Ino said, smiling, "Now, let's get out there and see the beautiful world!"

"Uh… Okay, sure." Shikamaru replied.

The two quickly ran out the stairs, out the door and went into the car. Shikamaru waited for the car to warm-up and when it was finally warmed-up, he pulled the lever backwards, stepped on the pedal and drove off. The road was a bit bumpy since there was lots of snow getting in the way. Flakes (of snow, NOT DANDRUFF, mind you!) continued falling from the sky like tiny soap bubbles floating in midair. Ino was fascinated by everything- she thought the snowy village seemed nice. As they passed the streets, they saw carolers singing, street vendors selling small items for gifts, jolly fat men in Santa Claus suits (Chouza was one of them) and children shopping with their parents.

"Snow means winter's coming…" Shikamaru muttered as he spun the stirring wheel, "…and winter means Christmas is coming very soon. And when it's Christmas, expect lots of presents. Which reminds me, Ino, when do you want to go Christmas shopping?"

"Uhhh…"

Ino thought for a while. She stroked her chin and looked outside. Finally, she answered him.

"Well, tomorrow's the first day of December…" she said, "Are you busy?"

"I have to go to work tomorrow, but if you want to shop for presents tomorrow, I could ask my boss if he could cut me some slack," Shikamaru replied, "Maybe a half day at work would be nice. I'd be home by lunchtime."

"Okay, tomorrow it is, then!" Ino said, "Ah, Christmas… Such a jolly good event!"

Finally, they reached Sakura's place. Immediately, the gates were opened and Shikamaru drove right in. As soon as the car came to a full stop, Ino quickly jumped out and ran inside the house, up to where she was once again hearing the whirring sound of Sakura's sewing machine.

"I'm here!" she said, panting.

"Oh goodie! You're finally here!" Sakura said. She stood up and pulled out the pencil from her hair. "Kakashi's been waiting! Here, let me take you to him."


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48- The Interview**

Sakura lead Ino to a room that had 'GUEST ROOM' written on its white door. As soon as she opened it, they saw Kakashi sitting comfortably on a soft chair, drinking coffee. He had a black suitcase placed on the floor, next to his feet. He wore thin-framed rectangular glasses and sported a casual look- a white shirt and jeans. And what's more, he was no longer wearing his mask!

"Gorgeous, isn't he?" Sakura said, hitting Ino's arm.

"Uh, yeah," Ino replied, partially blushing.

"Ah, good morning, Ino!" Kakashi greeted with a friendly smile, "It's nice to see the two of you ladies are still in shape! The men of Konoha must be running after you these days, aren't they?"

"Nah, if Sasuke saw them chasing after me, he'd kill them all!" Sakura joked, "Ino and Shikamaru are doing quite well together!"

"Sa-Sakura-chan!!" Ino stammered, "Stop it!"

"Oh, I see, you and Shikamaru are together." Kakashi said, "I can see an interesting article coming up! Sakura, darling, now if you don't mind…"

"I'm right ahead of you, sensei!" Sakura said, saluting to her teacher, "Just tell me if you need anything- juice, water, just call me, okay?"

And immediately, she left the room.

Ino stood in front of Kakashi, her legs shaking, her mind uneasy. She felt panicky as she watched Kakashi looking at her. Slowly, he gazed at every part of her body- her oh-so-smooth legs, her perfectly-curvy waist, her ladylike shoulders, her angelic face, her golden-toned hair and her huge boobies.

"Wow." Kakashi said, "I wish Iruka had all those! Shikamaru must be a very lucky man, huh?"

"Stop it!" Ino yelled, "Let's just get on with the interview, okay? Make it quick, so Shikamaru and I could go home together."

"Yes, ma'am." Kakashi replied. "Have a seat, please. It pains me to see a lady standing while I'm sitting."

Ino said nothing. She quickly took a seat on a wooden chair and crossed her legs. She knew that Kakashi might peep if she sat with her legs wide open. Kakashi opened his suitcase and brought out a pen and a pad of paper. Then, he fixed his glassed and sighed.

"Okay," he said, "Let's begin. First question, how did you end up as a stripper in the Pink Paradise bar?"

"Well, uh… Let's see… I first tried out so many jobs before that happened." Ino explained, "You see, our flower shop closed, and well, the teaching job didn't really go so well either. I wasn't that patient with the students…

"Helping out at the Inuzuka Pet store was scary. I'm not that good with animals, you see, though I'm a big fan of cute puppies and kitties…

"Being a waitress at Ichiraku wasn't my thing, either. I got fired immediately on my first day.

"After I lost hope, I decided I should become a stripper and there, that's how it came to be…"

Kakashi quickly wrote down everything then proceeded with the next question, "How did you and Shikamaru meet?"

"Oh, Shikamaru was a lifesaver!" Ino said, "That day, my life was like a living hell! The night before, I was robbed… Then, on that day, I lost my job at the bar, I don't give a damn why. So there, as I was crying on the steps, people were passing, ignoring me, and then he came and approached me.

"He was all like, _'Hey miss, you alright?'_

"And I was like, _'Shikamaru! Is that you!? Do you still remember who I am!?'_

"And then, he answered, _'Who are you!?'_

"Then, finally he realized I was his old friend. He pitied me and decided to let me live with him and find me a new job. And that's how I ended up with Shikamaru!"

"Okay, next question," Kakashi said, "Before meeting Shikamaru, did any of your friends know about you becoming a stripper? If yes, how did they react?"

There was a simple answer to that question. Ino laughed and answered, "Oh, that's an easy one! They all freaked out! Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, everyone I knew! Their jaws all dropped to the ground when they saw me. It was shameful, but now all I can do is laugh at the past and smile for a better future. I've decided to move on and look for a better life! Besides, I never liked stripping in front of everybody, anyway. It was just that I had no other option, so that's the job I ended up with back then."

Kakashi wrote down everything she said and went on with the next question, "Being with Shikamaru, are you two in a relationship?"

Of all the questions, this was the hardest for Ino to answer. If she said yes, Shikamaru might kill her for not keeping it all a secret. If she said no, he also might kill her for denying that the two of them are together. She was so confused that it took a while for her to think. Kakashi was waiting, tapping his black pen against the pad of paper that he placed on his lap. Ino bit her lip as she thought and she thought. Kakashi just looked at her and waited for an answer. Finally, she had one…

"What do you think? If you think that Shikamaru and I actually look good together, then that's fine! I'm admitting I have feelings for the guy, but if he doesn't want to admit anything, it's okay."

"Last question," Kakashi said, "Being a model, what do you hope to achieve in the near future?"

"Gee, I don't know…" Ino replied, "I never actually thought about it! Maybe, i should be in a movie someday!" Then she laughed, "Nah, for now, all I want is to be happy with my job and earn a decent sum of money. The movies, the big ads on billboards, all of those could come when I'm really professional. I've just started, so I'm not ready for all of that yet. Maybe next year."

Finally, Kakashi put back the cap on his pen and read over the whole interview. After that, he kept everything in his suitcase. Ino stood up nervously and asked, "Was that a good interview?"

"What are you so worried about?" Kakashi giggled. He gently patted Ino on the head and said, "Yeah. You did a good job. The interview might be included in the January issue of Paradise™, so watch out for it. You'll still be modeling for the magazine, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah." Ino replied.

"Okay! I'll be seeing you then." Kakashi said. Then, he gave Ino a pat on the back, "It was nice interviewing you! I'll be seeing you around, okay?"

"Okay, uh, bye, sir!"

"Bye-bye, butterfly!"

Then, Kakashi happily skipped out of the room.


	49. Chapter 49

**Hello, guys… Sorry about the super delay of the next chapters! I was sick… I was suffering from a dreadful disease called the writers' block… I ran out of ideas for the upcoming chapters of this story but now, I'm back! Let's all be happy! And also, I ran out of internet load… I used it all up in downloading Naruto stuff. Luckily, I have this friend and for the meantime, she'll be the one updating the fic. Let's all give her a big hand! (claps) Arigatou gozaimasu, Beata-chan!  Okay, now, let's get to the story!**

**Heeeeeeeeeeere's Chapter 49- Christmas Gift Shopping**

Everything was done. The interview was over. After Ino had said goodbye to her dear friend, Sakura, she rushed outside the place and met Shikamaru at the gate.

"Hey, sexy." He said, "How was it?"

"Everything went well," Ino replied, "Kakashi-sensei is still as nutty as usual!"

Shikamaru laughed then led Ino outside, where his car was parked. Before he opened the door for her, he said, "We could shop for presents today, if you like."

"Don't you have work?" Ino asked, "You've been absenting for so many days…"

"I don't actually feel like going to work today!" Shikamaru said, "I mean, I get lesser clients these days and I am once again done with all of the files I have. Plus, I think my laziness is once again taking over me. I'm pretty sure my boss won't mind if I spend a day with my girl!"

Ino slightly blushed. "You'd do anything to miss a day at work, wouldn't you?"

"Well," Shikamaru answered, "Now that I have you, I don't even wanna leave the house! All I wanna do now is spend the rest of my darn boring life with you. You spice everything up, Ino!"

Ino giggled. "Well, today's your last day, mister! You're gonna have to come back to the office some day and it's not gonna be next year!" Then she chuckled and went inside the car.

The two buckled-up for a bumpy ride. Shikamaru checked his mirror, turned the keys and started the engine. Then he asked, "What gifts do you have in mind?"

"I don't know." Ino replied, "For the girls, I'm planning on making them personalized necklaces! I saw very nice beads at the bead shop in the mall! There are so many colors to choose from and so many designs to experiment with!"

"I never actually thought bead crafting was your thing, Ino…" Shikamaru said.

"How about you?" Ino said, "What do _you _have in mind for the guys?"

"Geee… What _do _I have in store for those freaks? Let's see…"

Ino quietly stared at him and waited for his answer. Slowly, she watched Shikamaru as he out his hands on the stirring wheel and starting driving. Finally, he had an answer… Though it was a really weird one…

"Let me see…" he said, "Maybe I'll get them all some Playboy magazines!"

Ino snorted and frowned. "Haha. Very funny. I never knew all of you were total perverts."

"No, wait… Maybe I'll get them some wine! The guys'll love that."

Ino shot back. "You? Give Rock Lee some wine? I don't think so!"

"Oh yeah. You're right…" Shikamaru sighed and thought some more. He thought and he thought when finally he couldn't think of any good ideas. His mind went blank and he said to Ino, "I give up."

"That's okay, Shikamaru!" Ino said, "You'll still have plenty of time to think at the mall!" Then, an idea sprung into her head. "Hey, um, Shikamaru? Could we… Could we throw a Christmas party at your place?"

"Throw a Christmas party?" Shikamaru replied, "Sure, why not. When are you planning on throwing one?"

"It's your choice!" Ino answered, "It _is your _place, after all."

"It's _our _place now!" Shikamaru giggled, "How about on Christmas eve?"

"I guess that sounds fine enough," Ino said, "Now, we'll need a lot of planning… The food, the decorations, the music, everything!"

Shikamaru put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Don't worry! We'll work things out and do the planning together! We still have two weeks left. I'm sure we could make it by then."

"Sure." Ino replied.

Then they continued driving away… The snow was falling gently.


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50- Presents**

"Don't you just love the mall?" Ino sighed as soon as they got inside. "Come on, let's go! I'll get some beads at the Bead Shack!"

Shikamaru followed her to the store. As soon as they got there, Ino was amazed by how many different colors of beads there were inside. All of them were kept in tiny glass cases, all sorted by color and design. They had pink heart-shaped beads, blue circular-beads, crystal diamond-shaped beads, ruby red beads and more. Ino started picking out different colors for her friends. "I'll get these pink ones for Sakura, these cute yellow beads for Hinata and these fuchsia ones for Tenten!" Then, she walked a few steps to her right and got some green ones as well.

"To whom are you giving a green necklace to?" Shikamaru asked, with a puzzled look on his face.

"It's a secret!" Ino said, blushing.

Then, Ino went to the back, where all of the letter beads were. She picked out silver cube-shaped beads with tiny black letters engraved into them. She picked out S-A-K-U-R-A, H-I-N-A-T-A, T-E-N-T-E-N and…

"Close you eyes, Shikamaru! You mustn't know who I'm giving the last necklace to."

Shikamaru tightly shut his eyes as Ino took out some more beads. After that, they paid for everything. It wasn't that expensive, they only used up 450 Ryo on the beads. The cashier put the beads inside a tiny plastic bag and gave it to Ino.

"Thank you! Come again!"

Then, the couple left. They walked along the place, passing by many different shops.

"What are you planning to give now?" Ino asked, "Surely you shoulda thought of something now!"

"Yeah, I thought of something!" Shikamaru replied, "I think fruit cakes sound nice."

Ino nodded in agreement. "That's a great idea, Shikamaru! Ooh! There's a bakeshop over there."

The two of them walked to the bakeshop. A friendly young man with brown hair opened the glass doors for them and happily welcomed them in. He wore a pink headband on his head and two strands of hair stood up like antennas.

"Good morning!" he greeted, "And welcome to the Pantasia Bakeshop! My name is Azuma Kazuma! Please allow me to assist you in finding the perfect Christmas bread!"

The name rang a bell in Ino's head. "Azuma Kazuma…" she muttered. After thinking for a few seconds, it finally came to her. "Ah! Kazuma! You're the dude from Yakitate Japan, right?"

"Yup, that's me." Kazuma replied, "I usually come to Konoha when our show isn't on air! I'm still baking lotsa yummy pastries, as usual."

"Do you know Akimichi Choji?" Ino asked.

"I sure do!" Kazuma replied, "Choji-san and I joined this baking exhibition a few weeks ago and boy is he good! I tried some of his cake and it was really delicious!"

"I see." Ino sighed, "Uh, listen Kazuma, um… Do you guys sell fruit cakes here?"

"Fruit cakes?"

"Yeah, 'cause we're planning on giving away fruit cakes for Christmas!"

"Ah, I see."

Kazuma put his finger under his chin and replied, "Of course we do! We sell different kinds of pastries and yummy fruit cakes are on of 'em!"

"Good!" Ino smiled, "How many more do you have?"

"We still have nine boxes left," Said another voice.

Behind the counter stood a pink-haired guy. "The fruit cakes are really biting these days!" he laughed, "My name is Shigiru, by the way."

Ino turned to Shikamaru and asked, "How many will we need?"

"Well, let me see…" Shikamaru said, "There's Naruto, there's Sasuke, there's Choji, of course… Um, Neji, and um, Lee… Kiba, Shino and…"

"How about Sai?"

Shikamaru suddenly frowned.

"Don't tell me you forgot about Sai!" Ino said, smiling sweetly.

Shikamaru was once again starting to get pretty jealous. "Ah, fine. Let's get one for the little freakazoid as well… Grrr."

"So that's one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight…"

"One fruit cake costs 200 Ryo!" Shigiru said, "Times eight, that'll be 1,600 Ryo."

Shikamaru got his wallet and took out 2,000 Ryo. Shigiru punched-in the numbers and gave Shikamaru his change. After that, Kazuma got the boxes of fruit cakes and gently put them in yellow plastic bags.

"We're giving you our last fruit cake as a bonus!" said Kazuma. He happily gave it to Ino and she accepted it.

"Why, thank you!" Ino smiled, "You're so kind."

"It's a bonus!" Shigiru said, "Don't worry, it's on us."

Finally, with gifts for everyone, Ino and Shikamaru happily went outside Pantasia.

"Thank you!" Kazuma said, waving, "We hope to see you soon!"

**Again, sorry for the slow updates… Just remember: my stories are never over unless I put "The End", okay? Still more chapters to come. ;-) Stay posted.**


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51- The Promise**

"Hello Moto…"

Shikamaru's phone suddenly began to ring as soon as they reached his place. He flipped it open and put it next to his ear.

"Yes, hello?"

"_Attorney, why aren't you at work again?"_

"It doesn't really matter; I'm done with everything anyway."

"_You come to the office this instant or you're fired!"_

"But I said I'm done with all the documents."

"_Don't you dare reason with me…"_

"Do I have any clients waiting for me?"

"_No,"_

"Then in that case, I don't need to go to work today!"

"_You've been absent for many days, attorney. If you don't come to work this instant, I swear I'm gonna fire you!"_

"Fine! Okay, fine, I'll go. Just lemme bring my girl home, okay? Then I'll go to the godforsaken office…"

"_Your girl? Hello? HELLO!"_

------BEEEEP-------

"Who was that, Shikamaru?" Ino asked.

"Baby, I'm sorry I'm gonna have to leave you for now." Shikamaru answered, "I've got a very demanding boss, you see!"

"That's okay!" Ino said, smiling, "I know your job is just as important as our relationship, so I understand completely. Ah! Uh, Shikamaru,"

"Mmmm…"

"Shi… Shikamaru…"

Shikamaru began kissing Ino's neck with burning love and passion. Ino's heart throbbed as his lips touched her graceful, slender neck. Slowly, Shikamaru went up. He then started pecking her cheek and slowly wrapped his arms around her, from her back, down to her sexy curves and way down to her sexy ass. Then, he slid his tongue into Ino's mouth and they shared another hot, breathtaking kiss together in the car. They started moaning, savoring every second of the kiss.

"Ahhmm… Mmmmff…"

Suddenly, Shikamaru's phone began ringing again. "Hello, Moto…" They stopped kissing and kept silent for a while.

"Shikamaru…" Ino said, "Your phone…"

"Darn, he's ruining this tender moment…" Shikamaru growled, "Man, he's annoying."

Shikamaru quickly got his phone, flipped it open, but instead of answering the call, he pressed the on/off button and switched it off. Then, he once again wrapped his arms around Ino and started kissing her affectionately. After that, he said, "I'll be back at 6 p.m. I'd like a warm hug as soon as I get back, okay?"

"Sure!" Ino answered, blushing, "I could even kiss you, if you like,"

"Sure, why not! Don't miss me too much, okay, baby?"

"Awww, but why not? I'd get so lonely of course I'd miss you!"

Shikamaru smiled as he put his hands on the stirring wheel again. "It would be such a pain to see your heart grieving while I'm gone." He said, "Because honestly, I feel that way too. When I'm at work, every single time I think of you, my heart cries just thinking you're some place else."

"Don't worry, you'll be at work 'til six p.m. anyway!" Ino smiled, "I promise I'll give you a delicious dinner as soon as you get back!"

"Okay! That's a promise, okay?"

"I promise!"

Then, Ino reached in and gave her lover one last peck on the cheek. "Good luck with your boss!" she whispered.

"Thanks."

And off he went, driving away into the distance. Ino watched him as he slowly faded away into the snow. Then, she closed the gate and went inside the house. There, she began planning and organizing things for the Christmas party.


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter 52- Fathers' Talk**

_Ring, ring, ring… Ring, ring, ring…_

"H-hello? Who is this?"

"Inoichi, old buddy! Remember me?"

"How about me?"

Inoichi was surprised to hear these two voices once again, after so many years. A smile came upon his face and his eyes lit up. Then, he happily greeted his two friends, "Shikaku! Chouza! Hey, I missed you guys. How's everything been?"

"Things are going on just fine, old chap!" Chouza replied, "My son owns his own restaurant!"

"Ah, I see. How about you? How's you son, Shikaku?"

"He's a lawyer!" Shikaku answered, "He's still kinda lazy as usual… And he's always busy at work so I don't really have much time to talk to him. Plus, he's got his own land now, and…"

"How about Ino? Is she okay?" Inoichi asked.

"Oh, um Ino? Uhhh…"

"Choji says she and Shikamaru are going out these days!" Chouza replied, "Now isn't that cute?"

"Ino and Shikamaru!?" Inoichi yelled, "THIS IS A MIRACLE!"

"Heheh. Honestly, not even _I _knew that!" Shikaku said, "Like I said, Shikamaru's livin' on his own now. He left his old man as soon as he graduated from college."

Then, Shikaku started crying. "They grow up so fast, don't they?"

"Aw, there, there, old buddy!" Chouza said, "We'll get over it!"

Inoichi smiled as he heard his two friends talking over the phone. His heart was rejoiced when he heard the two of them after so many years and it rejoiced even more when he heard about his only daughter finally finding someone for her heart, and a family friend, to be exact.

"Visit us one of these days, will 'ya?" Shikaku said, "I wanna see how many wrinkles you've gotten after all these years!"

"Yup! And you should also try some of my son's recipes!" Chouza added, "They're to-die-for!"

"Sure, I'll try to come by when I can." Inoichi replied, "Perhaps when it's Shikamaru and Ino's wedding!"

Then, Shikaku once again started to cry… "HUWAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!! Just yesterday, Shikamaru was in diapers, trying to walk to me using his tiny legs! Then, last night, he became a Ninja Academy student… This morning, he was an official ninja! Then, he became a chuunin, and now… And now… AND NOW HE'S IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL BLONDE GIRL!!! Waaaah! Waaaah!"

"Hey, stop crying…" Chouza said, "You might actually embarrass your son in his wedding!"

"I'm sorry."

"Well, guys, I have to go now." Inoichi said, "It was fun talking to you! I promise I'll try my very best to visit Konoha."

"You promise!!!"

"Yes, I do."

"Okay. Bye-bye, then!"

"Bye."

**F.Y.I. DIS NOT DONE YET!!!!**


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter 53- Chicken Teriyaki and Chocolate Cakes**

Ding-dong!

"Ah! It's already six o' clock!"

Ino quickly got up and ran downstairs to open the door for Shikamaru. She hastily ran down the stairs and almost tripped as she speeded down the cold, white, marble floor.

Ding-dong! Ding- dong!

"I'm coming!" she yelled as she neared the door.

Finally, when she got to the door, she fixed her hair and tightened her ponytail. She rubbed her eyes, fixed her clothes and inhaled. Slowly, she unlocked the door and swung it open.

"Welcome home, Shikamaru!" she said, then pounced on him, making them fall into the snow.

"Agh! Ino! Get off me!" Shikamaru laughed, "Heheh… I said I wanted a hug, but I didn't say I wanted to be pounced on!"

Ino didn't listen to anything he said. Instead, he gave him lots and lots of kisses all over his face. Shikamaru started giggling once again and his face started to turn red. Ino smacked him and smacked him with all her love. As the two were enjoying their sweet time together, snow continued to fall from the dark, starry sky.

"Okay, Ino… I think that's enough." Shikamaru said, "I think it's time to eat!"

Ino quickly got off Shikamaru and wiped the snow off her shoulders.

"I made you some chicken teriyaki for dinner!" she said, "I added lots of sauce, just the way you like it! Oh, and for dessert I made a chocolate cake just for you!"

Shikamaru blushed. "That's really sweet of you, Ino! Every dish you make makes my heart feel like it's in heaven!"

Ino blushed back at him and said, "Well, everything _you _do makes me want to cook delicious food for you. Your passionate kisses never fail to set my heart aflame!"

The two of them walked inside the house. Shikamaru wiped off the snow from his black jacket and hung it on the rack. Then, he took off his scarf and placed his suitcase on the sofa. Ino followed him in. She too, hung her pretty purple jacket, her cute orange scarf and her light green bonnet on the rack. Then, she closed the door and followed Shikamaru to the dinner table.

Shikamaru sniffed the mouth-watering aroma of chicken teriyaki.

"Something tells me you've worked hard on this." He said, "You really _are _a sweetie."

Ino smiled at him tenderly then went to the kitchen to get the dish. Shikamaru patiently waited for her to come back. He smiled as he stared into the clear glass table. It's really clean, he thought. All of this was Ino's work. She cleans the house while he's away. The house was never this clean before he met her. He was glad…

FLASHBACK

_SHIKAMARU: What the… What are you doing?_

_INO: What does it look like I'm doing? I'm cleaning your room, stupid!_

_SHIKAMARU: What for? I didn't ask you to…_

_INO: It's really messy! It looks like a garbage dump in here! You should learn how to be more responsible, you lazy dog!_

_SHIKAMARU: (yawns) You shouldn't be sneaking in other people's rooms, you know._

_INO: But your room needs a lot of cleaning to do! If you cleaned your room regularly, I wouldn't even be here! Ah! (trips)_

_SHIKAMARU: Are… Are you alright?_

_INO: Darn… I think there's a bruise…_

_SHIKAMARU: A bruise? Oh, wait here. (goes downstairs)_

_INO: Huh? What is he gonna do now?_

_SHIKAMARU: (comes back) Here, I have some ice for that. (puts the ice on Ino's knee) You're clumsy. You should be more careful, ya know._

_INO: (blushes) WELL, IT'S YOUR FAULT I TRIPPED! YOUR STUFF ARE ALL OVER THE FLOOR!_

_SHIKAMARU: Hey! I got some ice for that and I think some gratitude would be nice!_

_INO: Thanks for nothing, you lazy dog!_

_SHIKAMARU: Why the hell did we have to meet? How troublesome…_

FLASHBACK ENDS

"Heheh…" Shikamaru giggled, "Now I'm glad the two of us met."

After a few minutes, Ino finally came back with the platter of chicken teriyaki.

"Here it is," she said, "Sorry it took so long."

"That's okay!" Shikamaru said, "I'd wait for you anytime."

Ino smiled and put some chicken onto Shikamaru's plate. Then, she put some onto hers as well. Then, she got some rice and put some on their plates.

"Wow. This looks good." Shikamaru said, "I think you could become as good as Choji one day!"

"Heheh." Ino guffawed, "Don't bet on it!"

Then, the two of them began eating. Every now and then, they would catch each other staring at one another. It was sweet. And after they finished their dinner, Ino got the chocolate cake she made for dessert. They fed each other and laughed and talked.

The night was young and the stars were sparkling like karats on a black night gown.

When they were finally finished eating, Ino suggested something.

"Could we lie down under the stars tonight, Shikamaru?"

"You mean like stargazing?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah!" Ino answered, "It would be really nice if we could. As a young girl, I've always dreamt of lying down under the stars with my love. And, and…"

"Sure. That would be nice!"

"Shi… Shikamaru…"


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter 54- Stargazing Lovers**

The two of them took the back door and went out into the garden wearing their jackets. The stars were gleaming brightly and the snow was falling gently. The sparkling sensation of the Christmas lights from other houses also added up to the romantic effect.

"Such a beautiful sight, isn't it?" Shikamaru sighed.

"Yeah." Ino replied. Then, she walked forward and laid herself down into the cold, white snow. She looked up at the dark sky and watched the stars twinkling brightly in the night.

Shikamaru laid himself down beside her and held her hand.

"I usually watch the clouds, ya know." He said, "And with Choji, too. It gives me a relaxing feeling. But lying down under the stars with you changes everything. I feel more than relaxed."

"I've always wanted to see a falling star," Ino told him, "There's this wish I want to make…"

"I have a wish as well." Shikamaru said, "When we see that falling star, let's make that wish together."

Then, he held her hand tighter and went on, staring at the stars in the sky. It was a peaceful night when all they can hear is each other breathing. All they could feel is each other's presence and the cold feeling the snow and the winter wind gave them. All they could smell is the frosty air and all they could see are lights and twinkling stars.

"I wanna see something else." Shikamaru said.

Immediately, a firework sprung up in the sky and exploded. It shimmered down until it disappeared like fairy dust. Then, there came another one with the same beauty and brightness as the last one. Slowly, one by one, more and more fireworks came up to the sky. Many different colors filled the dark heavens. Red, green, gold, white, silver… All sorts of colors came up and rose.

"Well, it looks like we won't be seeing any falling stars tonight, huh?" Shikamaru said, "I guess fireworks could do for now. They're just as pretty, anyway."

"Yeah." Ino replied as she smiled. The two of them continued staring at the dark blue. Fireworks. Stars. The snow, falling from the firmaments. It truly was a romantic night.

Then, a voice from afar called out, "MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!"

"Heh. He's two weeks early." Shikamaru laughed.

Ino laughed along with him, until her eyes grew heavy and she fell asleep.

"Whoo! It's getting really cold, isn't it? I say we head back…"

Shikamaru saw Ino lying down right beside him, already asleep. He smiled as he saw his beautiful angel dreaming peacefully under the shower of fireworks. Carefully, he picked her up and brought her back inside. He carried her upstairs and gently placed her on his bed. He sat her up and slowly removed her jacket. Afterwards he sat on the bedside and removed his jacket as well. Then, after everything else, he laid himself down beside her, wrapped his arms around her, kissed her goodnight and went to sleep.


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter 55- A Soft Frosty Morning**

"Ah… Good morning, Shikamaru!"

No one was beside her. Ino was all alone on the bed, with her hair messed up and her clothes all wrinkled. She rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"Looks like he's already gone to work…" she sighed, "He didn't even care to wake me up and kiss me goodbye!"

Then, she saw a note beside her pillow. She picked it up and read it:

_Dear Ino, _

_I'm off to work! I'll be back at 9 tonight 'cause I'll be working overtime._

_Ask some of your gal pals to go shopping with you if you get too bored._

_Here, enclosed is 2000 Ryo for the day._

_I'm giving it to you with all my love._

_Later, sexy!_

_Shikamaru_

She turned the paper over and saw 2000 Ryo stapled at the back. She smiled and laughed. "Oh Shikamaru. You just wouldn't stop being so sweet now, would you?"

With the note and the money in her hand, she got off the bed, fixed it and went downstairs to eat breakfast. She was expecting an empty table, but instead, she saw a bowl, a carton of milk and a box of cereal on the table. Attached on the box, was another note from Shikamaru.

_A healthy way to start the day!_

_Maintain your sexy body, okay?_

_Love lots,_

_Shikamaru_

"Heheh," she giggled as she sat down on the chair, "Guess he doesn't want me to get fat! Oh well!"

She poured in some milk and put in some cereal into the bowl. She got a spoon and immediately started feeding herself.

"Today will be a great day!" she said in a muffled voice.

Suddenly, the phone rang. She ran to it and answered it.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hey, Ino!" said the voice on the other line.

"Oh, hey, Sakura!" Ino said, "What's cookin'?"

"What's cooking? Well, um… I asked Tenten and Hinata to go to the Synergy Disco bar with me today and I was wondering…"

"…if I could join you guys?"

"Yup!"

"Sure! Of course I could! Anything for my girls!"

"Really? Thanks, Ino! I'll meet you at the entrance at seven p.m., okay?"

"Okay!"

"See 'ya!"

"Bye!"

Ino slowly put down the phone and sighed, "Thanks for the money, Shikamaru! I love you so much!"

Then, she went back to the table and ate her breakfast.


	56. Chapter 56

**Chapter 56- This is another freaky commercial…**

Knock, knock…

"I'm not answering that… Surely, it's another one o' those Akatsuki freaks."

Knock, knock…

"Hmph."

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Do as you wish! I am _still _not answering the damn door!"

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!!

"Urrrgh…"

Sasuke stomped angrily on the wooden floor as the knocks kept coming. It was pissing him off, and he felt that it was time to teach those Akatsuki people a lesson. He furiously banged the door open and yelled, "WHAT THE FING HELL DO YOU WANT NOW!?!?!?!?!?!?"

Outside stood Kisame with a pissed-off face. He looked at Sasuke seriously and said, "Yo."

"Oh great." Sasuke said, "Did Itachi tell you to baby sit me again?"

"Nope." Kisame replied.

"Then in that case, what the heck are you doing here!?" Sasuke asked, "I am sick of you people barging into my house already!"

"I have no home." Kisame replied.

"What?..." Sasuke said. He gave Kisame a skeptical look and asked, "Whaddya mean _'you have no home'? _You've got that hideout and all of those Akatsuki morons…"

"NOT ANYMORE!!" Kisame yelled, pulling Sasuke's shirt, "Nobody wants me anymore! They left me alone!"

"Who the heck would want a freakish fish-faced mutant with a stinkin' shark doll anyway?" Sasuke replied, "Life is all about rejection. Accept the fact that freaks like you were meant to be tormented. You were meant to be thrown out of Akatsuki forever."

"Well, um, actually I chose to get out of that place myself." Kisame replied.

"Huh? Why?"

SASUKE: Itachiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!! Get your pet out of my house!

KISAME: (grabbing Sasuke's leg) No! No! I can't stay here anymore! It's TORTURE!!!

SASUKE: Shut up if you don't want me to turn you into fresh tuna!

KISAME: (gulp)

SASUKE: (scoffs) Torture… Yeah right. (opens the door to Itachi's room) What the…!?

DEIDRA: Ah! Ah! Oh, Itachi!

ITACHI: Deidra, my darling… Does that hurt?

DEIDRA: Oh, no, it doesn't… It actually feels good! Don't stop now!

ITACHI: Oh Deidra…

DEIDRA: ITACHI!!!

SASUKE: (stares) … Now I see what Kisame's afraid of…

KISAME: MY EYES ARE BURNING!!!

SASUKE: WHAT THE FREAKING HELL IS GOIN' ON HERE!?!?! That's it. I'm leaving. (disappears)

KISAME: Wait! No! Don't leave me here! Nooooooooooooo!!!

ITACHI: Shut up, Kisame.

DEIDRA: Kisame… Darling, could you please get the condoms from Sasori?

KISAME: YAMETEEEEEEE!!!!!


	57. Chapter 57

**Chapter 57- Disco!!**

It was finally seven in the evening.

"Ino!!! Hey, nice outfit! You surely know how to dress up!"

"Yeah, um… Thanks for the compliment!"

"Alright, girls! Let's get in!"

The four of them went inside the disco bar hand-in-hand. The people were startled by their fresh funky outfits. The glitter, the glam, the feathered scarves… The knee-high socks, the cool shades, the sparkling accessories and the platform boots… They were in the mood to par-tey!!!

"Um, uh… I'm not sure I know how to dance…" Hinata said.

"Don't worry, Hinata!" Tenten said, "Nobody cares how bad you dance anyway! As long as you let yourself go, things'll work out just fine."

"Hey look!" Ino cried, "It's Sai!"

Sai immediately ran to them and greeted them. "Good evening, ladies! Lookin' good."

"Heheh… Thanks!" Ino said.

"Don't be too flirty, now!" Sakura said, "You wouldn't want someone getting jealous now, would you?"

"Who? Shikamaru? Nah… He knows Sai and I are just friends!"

"Well, then in that case, let's boogie!" cried Tenten as she began dancing.

They all danced as the spinning disco ball spun and spun. Colored lights flashed all over the place and funky disco music filled the atmosphere. There were some people drinking and having a good time, while some were simply there to dance.

"I am having so much fun!" Ino said, "Thanks for asking me over, Sakura-chan!"

"Sure!" Sakura replied, "Anytime, Ino!"

They boogied their hearts out all through the night. When it was finally ten o' clock, the girls decided it's time to head home.

"That was great!" Tenten said, "I wanna come here every week!"

"Yeah, that's the first time I actually danced in public…" Hinata said, blushing.

Suddenly, a black Mercedes Benz came.

"Oh, Kiba's here to pick me up!" Hinata said, "I'll see you guys!"

"Bye, Hinata!"

Then, Hinata hopped inside the care and drove away.

"I could give you a ride home, Ino." Said Sai, "I mean, if it's okay with you."

"Really?" Ino gasped, "Thanks, Sai!"

"How about you two ladies?" Sai asked Sakura and Tenten.

"Who? Us?" Sakura said, "It's okay! Sasuke will pick us up!"

"Okay! Don't go with guys you don't know!" Sai said, "Let's go, Ino."

"Right!" Ino said, following him. "Bye!"

"Bye, Ino!"

Sai led Ino to his black Mazda. It was really shiny and looked brand new.

"Wow… What a nice car!" Ino cried out.

"Heheh." Sai chuckled, "I bet it's not as nice as Shikamaru's, though. Hop in. I'm sure Shikamaru wants you back ASAP."

"Yeah… He got home an hour ago." Ino said. She slid into the car and buckled up.

Sai started the car and after it warmed up, he began driving. The two of them talked and laughed at each other's stories. Those five minutes and a half sure were fun. But when they finally reached the place, they saw Shikamaru standing outside the gate, looking quite angry. Ino stopped smiling. Her heart felt something not so good. Sai realized the situation and he, too, stopped the laughter.

"Will you be alright from here?" he asked.

"I can take it from here." Ino replied, "Thanks for the ride, Sai."

"Don't mention it."

Ino quickly got off and walked to the gate, where Shikamaru was standing. Sai drove away as fast as possible, afraid of what Shikamaru might do to Ino. When she finally reached him, she said, "Good evening, Shikamaru! How was work today?"

Shikamaru did not answer. Instead, he walked back into the house. Ino followed him, still feeling uneasy inside. Why? she thought. Why is he mad at me?

Shikamaru leaned on the wall and crossed his arms. His angry look made Ino shake. She thought that this day would turn out alright, but as it passed, it got even worse. The two of them stood away from each other, not saying a word. Ino tried her very best to ask him what was wrong, but Shikamaru said nothing and ignored her. Ino felt like she was crumbling to dust. In every relationship, did there always have to be a fight? She could sense a clash coming right at them… A fight that just might ruin their beautiful time together.


	58. Chapter 58

**Chapter 58- The Argument**

"What were you doing with that guy?"

"His name is Sai, Shikamaru."

"I DON'T CARE WHAT HIS NAME IS! WHAT WERE YOU DOING WITH HIM!?"

"He was just giving me a ride home! You shouldn't jump to conclusions, you know!"

The fire was already setting in. The electricity between the two could be felt. Of all fights… Why did this have to be a fight between two hearts? A fight between lovers? Why? Why did it have to be this?

"I'm not jumping to conclusions!" Shikamaru yelled, "It's just that… You talk about the guy often and you act all giddy when you see him! I'm starting to think you're cheating on me, Ino!"

"Cheating on you!?" Ino replied, "What do you have against Sai anyway!? We're just good friends!"

"Just good friends, huh!?" Shikamaru cried out, "That's what they all say! Well, just in case you don't see it, I think that Sai dude's hitting on you, Ino! And I think you're falling for it!"

"HITTING ON ME!?" Ino yelled, "Okay, mister! This time, you've gone too far! Sai isn't the type of guy who would just snatch another guy's girl, you know! He's a gentleman and he was just giving me a ride home!"

"You needed a ride home? Why didn't you call me then!?" Shikamaru yelled back, "If you needed a ride, I'd happily pick you up!"

"It would be a waste of gas!" Ino replied, "Besides, I thought you'd be busy at this hour, so…"

"Stop making excuses!" Shikamaru said, "You didn't call me! You didn't call me… Because you wanted to be with that Sai guy! You wanted to be with him in his car and talk to him!"

"Now, that's not true!" Ino said. Tears were starting to fall from her eyes. "That's not true." She repeated. Then, she started crying. She dropped to her knees and sobbed the tears of sadness she cried out long before she met Shikamaru.

"Ino…" Shikamaru said, with his tone now softened, "You know I'd do anything for you. I don't care how many liters of gas I'd lose just so I could pick you up. You know I'd waste anything for you, Ino! My time, my money… Anything." Then, he looked at another direction. "It pains to see you like this, but I think you like Sai more…"

"That's not true!" Ino cried.

"Liar!" Shikamaru yelled. He raised his arm and slapped her on the cheek. Ino fell helplessly to the floor and sobbed more. It was painful for Shikamaru to do that, but all he could feel now is his anger. Jealousy. He quietly went upstairs to his room and slammed the door shut.

Ino sat up and continued to sob. "I… I didn't wanna be a burden to you!" she cried out, "That's why… I didn't call you up…"

Tears continued falling from her eyes like water leaking out of a glass full of cracks. Her heart was grieving; it felt as if it had been stepped on and torn apart. Slowly she stood up and went up the stairs. Her melancholic moans and depressing gestures truly shows that the one and only man she loves is Shikamaru. But he didn't believe her. He's convinced that it's Sai whom she likes more. Poor Ino. Her heart is in torment.

Slowly, she walked up until she finally reached the second floor. She grasped her chest as she cried even more. She mourned as she walked to her own room. When she finally got there, she shut the door.

Her sobs can be heard from Shikamaru's room. He, too, was grieving. He was so happy with Ino, but now, his mind is confused. He no longer knows what to think. His cleverness couldn't be used in situations like this. It was his heart that did the thinking, instead of his mind. He was so confused. He was in torment. Suffering the same pain as Ino.

That night, nobody slept together. Each of them slept in their own rooms, with sad, heavy hearts and disturbed minds. Regrets and mixed emotions filled the air. They were desperate. They did not know what to do.

What is to become of them?

**Of course, I wouldn't stop here! I want all of my romantic stories to have happy endings in them, so just wait for the upcoming chapters. Again, this is Sexee Kakashi saying…**

"**SHIKAMARU AND TEMARI!? ARE YOU NUTS!?"**

**Good night to all! Love 'ya.**


	59. Chapter 59

**Our computer's got a virus!! Duck and cover, people!!**

**_Just kidding. _**

**Chapter 59- The Heart's Scars**

It was a hard night for the both of them.

The next morning, Shikamaru slowly opened his eyes and saw the sun shining outside, with the snow still falling from the sky. He still felt anger in his heart and tried his best not to think about the girl he was seriously in love with. But he couldn't help it. He just had to.

His stomach was empty; he just had to go downstairs to have breakfast.

As he went down the stairs, the smell of fried eggs filled the air. Who else would cook for him so early in the morning?

"Good… Good morning, Shikamaru!" Ino greeted with a smile, "H-how do you like your eggs?"

Shikamaru just stared at her with dagger eyes and turned around to take his seat. Ino's eyes turned sad as she saw him turn away. She knew he still wasn't convinced that Sai was only a good friend, and nothing else. She looked at him with love, and sadness. Why won't he at least greet me? she asked herself.

"Shi… Shikamaru…" Ino said softly, "I used to see your face every morning… You used to smile at me. But now, all I see is your back. Why won't you at least say a simple 'hello'?"

"Hmph." was all that he answered.

"Shikamaru…"

Suddenly, Shikamaru rose from his chair and pushed it away. "I'm not hungry." He said, "I'm going."

Quietly, he went back upstairs, went into the shower room and slammed the door shut. Ino was left alone downstairs, with her heart crying and her body trembling.

"Shikamaru…" she sighed, "Why…"

Slowly and quietly, she sat down and ate one of the fried eggs she had cooked. She felt like crying as she put the egg in her mouth; she felt like banging her head on the wall as she drank her cup of coffee.

She looked at the other egg and the other cup right in front of her.

She gazed at the empty chair that had been pushed away just a few moments ago.

"Shikamaru was supposed to eat that." She said, "He was supposed to drink that cup of coffee, too… And that chair… He was supposed to sit there and talk to me…"

Then, she banged the table with her fists. "Uungh!" she grunted. The plates and cups on the table fell off and broke. Ino fell on her knees and started crying. Tears fell from her eyes as she thought more and more of him.

"Shikamaru…" she said, "I thought you promised me… That I'd never get hurt again! If that's so, tell me why I'm crying like this! Tell me why I'm sad and angry right now! Tell me why you won't even talk to me! Why, Shikamaru? Why?"

Suddenly, a door upstairs opened. Shikamaru was all dressed up in his suit, with his suitcase in his hand. As he went down the stairs, he saw Ino crying helplessly on the floor. As soon as he got down, he went to her and stared at her. Ino slowly turned around and looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Clean up that mess." Shikamaru said, "I want this floor spotless by the time I get home."

Ino's heart felt as if it was torn apart. But since she loved him so much, she quickly wiped off the coffee on the floor with her skirt.

"I'm going now."

Shikamaru then went outside and left Ino alone, cleaning. As soon as she heard his car beep, she started crying once again.

"Must I always feel this way?" she cried out, "Then if this is love, I don't want it anymore!"

It was a painful morning. Ino tried her best to forget about everything. She tried to forget about the romance, the kiss, the promises… She tried to forget about Shikamaru the most.

But she just couldn't. She loves him so much.

"Love hurts. And it stinks…" she said, "Must a relationship always have a fight?"

She wiped the tears off her eyes with her arm and tried to cool down. Then, she saw a box sitting in a corner. It was labeled "CHRISTMAS DECORS"

She decided to continue showing her love for him and started bringing out the tinsel, the garlands and the ribbons.

"If I can't convince him with words, I'll show it with actions!" she said.

Then, she went on, using some of the chakra she had left to walk on the walls to hang ornaments.


	60. Chapter 60

**Chapter 60- Jealousy**

"Good morning, Attorney. You have a client waiting for you."

"Okay. Send him in."

Shikamaru was seated at his desk, wearing rectangular glasses, with a pen in his hand. The picture frame with the picture of Ino when she was a kid was turned face-down on his table.

Slowly, the door opened and in came Konohamaru with a pissed look on his face.

"Konohamaru, please take a seat." He said, "Would you like a drink while we talk?"

"No," Konohamaru replied, "It's okay! I'm not thirsty at all. I JUST WANNA COMPLAIN ABOUT SOMETHING, THAT'S ALL!!!"

"Go ahead," Shikamaru told him, "Tell me everything you want to complain about."

"It's not much, really…" Konohamaru answered, "It's just that… EBISU IS ALWAYS CHASING ME AROUND!!! HE STILL THINKS I'M A LITTLE KID!!! I'M SO SICK OF IT; I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!"

Shikamaru stared at Konohamaru and said, "Well, I guess the guy's just being protective!"

"Protective!?" Konohamaru yelled, "More like ANNOYING!!!"

Suddenly, Ebisu barged into the office, sweating and breathing heavily.

"Young master! There you are!"

Konohamaru's eyes suddenly grew bigger. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"

"Konohamaru-sama, I was so worried about you!" Ebisu said, "Don't you EVER run away from me again, young man! You could get hurt!"

"I am not a little kid anymore!" Konohamaru cried out, "Leave me alone! I have my own life now! Want some proof? Moegi's my girlfriend, for my grandpa's sake!"

"Even so, I believe it is still my duty to look after you, Konohamaru." Ebisu replied.

"How sentimental." Shikamaru said, "See? This is just Ebisu's way of showing how much he cares about you, Konohamaru. It's sweet, isn't it?"

"SWEET!?" Konohamaru yelled, "IT'S NOT SWEET, IT'S GAY!!!"

"How could you say that after all I've done for you!?" Ebisu said, looking like he was about to cry, "We've been together for so many years, young master! Have you forgotten about our days in the academy when we walked together, watching the wind blow the leaves away… We used to do that a lot,"

"Yeah…" Konohamaru replied, "But that was before. Now is what's happening, Ebisu-sensei! NOW! I'm not your little boy anymore! I've grown up! I'm sick of you always watching me, keeping an eye on me and chasing me around the place! Cut me some slack, will 'ya?"

Then, he turned to Shikamaru and said, "You're a lawyer! File a case against him!"

"Huh?" Shikamaru yawned, "But why? So the guy's following you around… It's nice, actually! I've always wanted someone watching me and caring for me like that!"

"Well, you _do _have someone like that, right?" Konohamaru said, "Ino."

Shikamaru's mind snapped as soon as he heard the name. His grin slowly turned into a sad pout. Slowly, he looked down onto his desk and became silent. Konohamaru stared at him with deep curiosity and asked, "I-I'm sorry, Shikamaru-san… Was it something I said?"

Shikamaru sighed and said, "No, it's nothing. I-I'm alright, Konohamaru."

"You sure?" Konohamaru asked, "You don't look okay! Did something bad happen?"

"Young master, I-I think you shouldn't be asking those questions at the moment…" Ebisu said softly, "Something bad had obviously happened between the two of them."

"I see." Konohamaru sighed.

Then, he said to Shikamaru, "Shikamaru-san, I'm dropping the case."

"Huh? But why?"

Konohamaru tried his best to smile and said, "Because you seem so stressed these days! I'm dropping the case so I could give you a break!"

"But what about Ebisu chasing you and all?" Shikamaru asked, "You seemed so irritated…"

"Nah, I got over it already!"

"That quick?"

"Yeah!" Konohamaru replied, "I realized that all the years Ebisu's been with me, looking out for me and taking good care of me, it's… It's really something I shouldn't complain about. I thought it was really nice for someone to risk his time, his life and everything else just to make sure I'm alright."

Ebisu's eyes started to water. "Young master…"

Konohamaru went on, "Yeah, it's a blessing to have someone who truly cares right by your side! He's been doing a lot for me! And it's rare to find someone who would do _that much _just to make you happy!"

Then, Shikamaru remembered Ino. She's been cooking for him, cleaning the house for him, and doing other things just to make him smile. _And now, she's crying over me, _he thought, _what kind of guy am I?_

Suddenly, he asked Konohamaru something, "Um- uh, Konohamaru, what can you say about jealousy?"

"Jealousy?" Konohamaru asked.

"Yeah." Shikamaru replied, "Let's say Moegi saw you with another girl... And then, she gets all mad and angry because she's jealous…"

"Hmmm… I never really thought of that!" Konohamaru answered, stroking his chin, "But I believe that jealousy is just a way of showing how much you love one person! Competitiveness, maybe! But why would you want to be competitive? I say jealousy is just love in disguise! I mean, if you really love that person and see her with someone else, you'd do anything it takes to get her attention, right? You'd do everything you can to win her back, all because of the love you have for her!"

"Oh, I see…" Shikamaru said, "Thanks."

"No problem!" Konohamaru grinned, "Just remember not to get a little _too _jealous of Sai, Shikamaru-san!"

"What!? But how did you…"

"I'm the grandson of our third hokage! I know everything!"

"Oh…"

"Okay then! I'll see you! Let's go, Ebisu!"

"Yes, young master!"

"Oh, and one more thing… It's _Konohamaru."_

"Yes, Konohamaru!"

And after that, Konohamaru and Ebisu left the office. Shikamaru thought about what Konohamaru had just said…

"…_I say jealousy is just love in disguise! I mean, if you really love that person and see her with someone else, you'd do anything it takes to get her attention, right? You'd do everything you can to win her back, all because of the love you have for her!"_

"Jealousy… Is a way of showing love… Really, now?"

Slowly, he flipped the picture frame over, showing him a picture of Ino back when she was thirteen years old. He looked at her dearly and said, "Ino, sometimes I don't know what to think… Do I really still love you? Are you really in love with me? I dunno… Love is a complicated emotion. I don't understand it, and perhaps I never will…"

Suddenly, the windows opened and in came Sai with a smile on his face.

"Yo!" he said, waving.

"Oh great." Shikamaru whined, "Did you come to invite me to your wedding? Sorry, but I have other plans…"

"Wedding?" Sai said, "Oh no, I'm here to help you out, old buddy!"

"H-H-Help me out!?" Shikamaru shouted, "Now, how the heck are you gonna help me out right after you ruined a perfectly good relationship!? I was so in love with her, I did everything to make her happy!"

"Really…" Sai said, with his eyes half-closed, "Then why is she crying now?"

Shikamaru gasped and looked at Sai, straight in the eye. Then, he slowly turned his back and said, "Why are you telling me this? Why should I care? Aren't you the one who's supposed to be comforting her? After all, it's _you _whom she loves. She only fooled me. I'm not the one for her."

Sai's perky grin suddenly turned into a frown. "You moron." He said, "Why are you acting so cold on her suddenly? Don't you ever care anymore?"

"After I lost her to you, I don't give a damn to anything in this world." Shikamaru answered, "As of now, money is all that matters to me. I just wanna live my life and wait for my hour to come. Because now I understand all that love ever does is to tear me apart."

"Right…" Sai sighed, "But it could also mend you back, y'know. Just so you know, the whole five minutes I was with her, she mentioned your name twenty-three times, or over."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better." Shikamaru said, "Thanks, but I ain't falling for that."

"I'm not just saying this!" Sai said, "It's true! I really mean it! Ino loves you! And you just can't see that, can you!?"

"Oh, I see everything clearly!" Shikamaru yelled, "Stop trying to deceive me, Sai. I know you're hitting on her too!"

"Hitting on her? Yeah, right."

"Don't you 'yeah right' me, mister!" Shikamaru replied, "You get all slick with her when she's around!"

"Whaddya mean?" Sai said, "I'm slick with all the ladies!"

Shikamaru was getting pissed off. "Then why didn't you give Sakura, Tenten and Hinata a ride home as well!?"

"Let me see…" Sai said, "Sakura said that Sasuke would pick Tenten and her up. While Hinata, well, Kiba was the one who brought her home. Since Ino didn't have a ride home, I decided I'd give her one!"

"But Ino knows I'd do anything for her." Shikamaru said, "Why didn't she call me then?"

"You wanna know why?" Sai said, "Sigh. I'll tell you why, if that's what you want."

Shikamaru paid close attention. Sai began his story.

"It all started when the two of us, Ino and I, got inside my car…"


	61. Chapter 61

**Chapter 61- Sai's Story**

_----FLASHBACK OF WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT----_

"Wow! Nice ride you've got here, Sai!" Ino exclaimed in excitement, "It makes you look really cool!"

"Thanks!" Sai said, "I only bought this baby a few weeks ago! You can tell 'cause it's still got that 'new car smell', right?"

"Yeah!" Ino replied, "New cars smell so nice, don't they?"

Ino and Sai were in the car, just the two of them. Their seatbelts were buckled-up. It was cold outside and snow was still falling from the sky.

"Um, Ino," Sai said.

"Yes, Sai?" Ino answered, "What is it?"

"I-Isn't Shikamaru gonna get angry if he finds out that I was the one who gave you a ride home?" Sai gulped, "It's not gonna be pretty once he finds out…"

Ino smiled without a worry and said, "Actually, I'm testing him to see if he'll get jealous or not! I want to see if he really loves me!"

Sai smirked and said, "What if he actually decides to break-up with you all because of this little plan you set out for him?"

"Well," Ino replied, "If Shikamaru really does love me, he'd surely get jealous of you, Sai. And that's what I wanna see. I want to see him doing everything he can to prove to me that he really loves me from the bottom of his heart!"

Sai smiled and said, "Wow. That's really sweet, Ino."

"Yeah, I know it is!" Ino replied, "I wanna see him courting me! It would be really nice to see something like that! It's like in the olden times, when the guy would serenade the girl of his dreams! Sigh… I've never heard Shikamaru's singing, though…"

Slowly, Sai put his hands on the wheel and said, "Ino, I promise you. If anything goes wrong, I'll talk to Shikamaru and tell him about it. If he really thinks that you and I are together, I'll make him believe that this is all just some gimmick you planned so he'd show more affection. I won't let you guys have a sad ending."

"Thanks, Sai."

_----FLASHBACK ENDS----_

"So this was all just some test she thought of to see how much I love her?"

"Yup, that's pretty much it. Ino and I? Nah, we're just buddies! And besides, I'd usually go for the dark-haired girls. Hot sexy blondes just aren't my type."

"Oh I see."

Shikamaru looked down sadly and said, "What the heck was I doing? I was overreacting and because of that, this relationship might really be over… Other than that, I slapped Ino on the cheek last night."

"Oopsies." Sai said, "You shouldn't have done that, Shika-kun!"

"Darn. What kind of jerk am I!?"

"A jealous one who just slapped his true love!"

"Will you stop answering my rhetorical questions!?"

"Whoops, sorry…"

Shikamaru leaned on his desk, full of sadness and desperation. "How could I have been such a jerk?" he said. Slowly, tears started coming out of his eyes. He began sobbing and crying his heart out. He felt guilty for having slapped the girl of his dreams and for not believing her when she said that he was her one and only love. Sai slowly went near him, sat on his table and rubbed Shikamaru's back.

Rub, rub…

Rub, rub…

"Sai, tell me. Why are you helping me?" Shikamaru asked, "After all I've done to you because of jealousy, tell me why you're being so kind."

Sai smiled at him and said, "I promised Ino that if something went wrong with her plan, I'd talk to you and tell you the whole thing!

"Besides, it would be such a shame to see a cute couple breaking-up all because o' me!

"_I'd kill myself, honestly."_

Shikamaru sniffled as he looked down on his desk. His heart grieved even more when he saw his teardrops on the smooth surface of his wooden desk. Slowly, he looked at the picture of Ino with love and affection. Then, he grasped the frame and brought it close to his chest. He held it tight; he cried even more. "Hey Sai," he said.

"Yeah, what is it?"

Nervously, Shikamaru stood up and put his hand on Sai's shoulder. He smiled at him with gratitude and said, "Thanks for telling me everything. If it weren't for you, I would've made the biggest mistake of my life." Then, he looked at his watched and saw the short hand pointing in-between five and six, while the long hand was on six. "Damn, it's already five-thirty! I gotta get going!"

Hastily, he packed up his suitcase and opened the door. Before he left, he thanked Sai once again for everything.

"Is there anything I could do to repay you?" Shikamaru asked as he was on his way out.

"Sure. Do me a favor, will ya?" Sai answered.

"Anything." Shikamaru replied, "You've done so much…"

"Apologize to her and hug her when you get home," Sai said, "And another thing,

"Try not to get jealous of other guys, okay? You know you're much better than the rest o' those other punks, except me, of course! Heheh. But enough about that! Ino loves you and you should keep that in mind. She'd never cheat on you, believe it!"

Shikamaru smiled at Sai and said, "Sure. Thanks."

And with that, Shikamaru walked out of his office. Sai smiled and whispered to himself, "Sai, you've done great!" Then, he looked at the portrait of Ino on Shikamaru's desk and said, "Don't worry. Your prince is on the way. Once again, he will wrap his loving arms around you. Trust me. Your lonely nights of grieving are over, rincess!"

Happily, Sai jumped out of the window and ran to Starbucks- the coffiest place in the world.

Heheh… "Coffiest…"


	62. Chapter 62

**Chapter 62- A Rainbow After the Storm**

"Ahhh… I'm sweating like hell!"

The house was furnished with red, green and gold curtains and was beautifully adorned with tinsel, garlands, Christmas balls, plastic bells and red poinsettia flowers. Christmas lights hung about, thus, adding color and beauty to the atmosphere. Red ribbons and angel figurines also hung around the house. The only thing left to do was to decorate the tree- it had already been put up, but it still needed some stuff on it.

"I hope Shikamaru likes this!" Ino said, wiping sweat off her forehead, "And I hope he's in a good mood again…"

She sighed. Then, she sat on the floor and looked around her. Indeed, she had done a wonderful job. The house was beautifully decorated with Christmas ornaments.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Ino gasped and nervously stood up and walked to the door to answer it. She gulped, fearing that Shikamaru might still be angry at her. Slowly, she turned the knob until the door was opened.

Shikamaru stood outside, looking very pale.

"Um, uh- G-good evening, Sh-Shikamaru!" Ino greeted him sweetly, "How was work?"

"Work was fine…" Shikamaru replied softly, still feeling guilty, "I got lost on the road of life…"

The two of them stood there, doing nothing. They remained silent as the snow continuously fell outside. Shikamaru… He didn't know what to say to her next. He wanted something to happen, but his heart couldn't find the courage to do so. I was such a jerk, he thought. Ino wasn't able to think of anything to say as well. She just stood in front of him, doing nothing.

Shikamaru was trying so hard to stay standing a bit longer, but as the moments passed, his heart cried out even more. He felt like it was telling him to make the first move. Then, he remembered what Sai asked him to do:

"_Apologize and hug her when you get home, okay?"_

He gulped. He wanted to say he was sorry for being such a jerk and for slapping her. He wanted to hold her in his arms again, but somehow, his body was unable to move. Ino stood there silently and patiently waited for him to say something. And finally, when Shikamaru had found the strength to hold her, he just did… With love, with compassion and with feeling.

"Oh Ino!" he cried as he held her tight, "Please… Please, Ino… Forgive me for being such an idiot!"

"Shikamaru…" Ino gasped as he held her.

"Sai told me everything," he continued, "The ride home, the test of love, everything! Ino! I… I am so sorry! I've been such a jerk!"

Then, Shikamaru fell on his knees and started crying. "Please!" he begged, "I'd do anything for you to forgive me! I know what I said! I know what I've done and I'm sorry! You could slap me back just as hard as I slapped you last night. Do anything that would make you feel better. You could hit me. Just as long as it makes you feel alive, I wouldn't care how much it would hurt me. When you're happy, I'll be happy as well. Even if it hurts, I'm willing to do anything for you, Ino."

Ino smiled gently and bent down to wipe the tears off his face.

"It's alright," she said, "I've already forgotten about everything! You don't have to apologize. It was my fault you got jealous, anyway. I shouldn't have done that in the first place!"

"But I've been such a jerk!" Shikamaru yelled. Then, his head was in between Ino's big boobies.

"Um-Shikamaru!" Ino blushed, "Y-you're touching me…"

"I'm REALLY SORRY!!! IT'S JUST THAT I LOVE YOU!!! SO MUCH!!!" Shikamaru yelled.

"Stop saying you're sorry!" Ino said, "You know I'll never stop loving you no matter what! It's okay.

I've forgiven you a long, long time this morning."

"But I'm really sorry, Ino." Shikamaru repeated as he went on, sobbing in her arms, "I know I've hurt you really bad… I could never be your perfect man."

"Well, there _is _no such thing as a perfect woman either!" Ino said, "And I'm pretty sure there is no such thing as a perfect relationship! Sometimes, these fights just happen! From what Kakashi-sensei told me during our interview…"

_---FLASHBACK---_

KAKASHI: _Sometimes, in a relationship, there are tests that must be taken. These tests are different from the chuunin exams, though. When two lovers quarrel, it's sometimes a test to see how much they care for each other! It's a test that would show how these two hearts work things out and make peace once again. And in jealousy, one would do all that he could just to get his loved one back! Now, that's what I call 'showing lotsa love!' You should try testing Shikamaru one of these days! You'll have lots of fun, tust me. It's kinda risky, though! That's what Asuma did to Kurenai a month before their wedding. But look at them now! So sweet and acting all lovey-dovey with one another!_

_---BACK TO REALITY---_

"Konohamaru told me the same thing today." Shikamaru said softly, still feeling guilty, "Ino… I… I hope nothing ever comes between us ever again. Because to tell you the truth, sleeping without you beside me last night seemed like hell.

"I kinda got used to hugging a really sexy babe at night, you see."

Ino smiled and giggled. "Well, those lonely nights are over now that we've understood each other! I'm not the type of girl who would just go with any guy she meets! I _did _tell you that I wanted to have a serious relationship where no one would toss me away like an outgrown toy! And I also said that…

"You were the first man who ever gave me a kiss that had the certain feeling in it."

Then, slowly and tenderly, she wiped out Shikamaru's tears. She gently rubbed away the tear that was rolling down his soft cheek. Slowly, they went closer to one another. Slowly their heads moved until their lips finally met. Ah, once again, they shared a breathtaking kiss. This wasn't the sexy, hot kiss though… This one was quite different. This kiss was a sweet one, kind of like a symbol of renewal and new beginnings…

"Uh… Oh yeah, I've decorated the whole house!"

"Yep, I could see that you've worked hard. It looks beautiful, Ino!"

"Thanks! Um, but the tree's still bare though…"

"Then, maybe after dinner we could decorate the tree together! Wouldn't _that _be sweet?"

"Um- yeah! That would be really sweet, Shikamaru!"

"Then, what are we still sitting here for? Let's start eating! 'Cause I can't wait to catch you when you fall off that ladder…"

"You come up with the most boring pick-up lines, Shikamaru!"

"Sorry! It's the least I could do! After all, it's the thought that counts, right?"

"Heheh… Right…"


	63. Chapter 63

**Hello, everybody! The exams melted my brain! **

**Chapter 63- Sweet memories of a sweet past…**

As the two ate their dinner, they talked about the many things that had happened, back when they were still kids.

"I still remember meeting you, back when I was a baby…" Shikamaru said, "You were pretty cute then! I remember you playing with your dolls… And I'd just stare at you…"

_---FLASHBACK BEGINS--- (I like flashbacks! Got a problem wid dat!?)_

Shikamaru, just a year old, is learning how to walk. Slowly, he waddles up to his father, who is bending down, reaching out his hands.

"Attaboy, Shikamaru!" Shikaku said, "Just a little more! That's it, come to daddy!"

Shikamaru, who is starting to get the hang of it, walks forward to go to his father.

"Yeah, that's a good boy, Shikamaru! Just a little more…"

But when he was finally a meter away, Shikamaru suddenly changed his direction and started running away. Shikaku was surprised, and stood up to look at what Shikamaru was running to.

In one corner, Ino was sitting peacefully, quietly enjoying her tea party with her dollies. Just as soon as Shikamaru got to her, he hugged her from behind and surprisingly, started humping on her.

"Ungh-ungh-uh-uh-uhhh…" Shikamaru grunted.

"Shikaku…" Inoichi said, smiling sarcastically at his friend, "What on earth is your son doing to _my _daughter?"

"Shika… Shikamaru! Stop that!" Shikaku yelled.

But Shikamaru did not listen and instead went on, moving his tiny ass next to Ino's.

_---FLASHBACK ENDS---_

"That was really cute!" Ino giggled, "Even as a baby, you were already a pervert!"

Shikamaru blushed deeply and replied, "But I was a baby back then! We were all stupid, ya know!"

Then, suddenly, Shikamaru remembered something that happened to the both of them when they were still under Iruka in the Ninja Academy…

_---FLASHBACK BEGINS---_

NARUTO: _Do you, Shikamaru, take Ino as your lawful wife?_

SHIKAMARU: _What if I say no?_

INO: _Ohhh, just say yes! Please!_

SHIKAMARU: _Ah, fine! I do._

INO: _Yeah!_

KIBA: _You may now kiss the bride!_

SHIKAMARU: (blushes then kisses Ino on the cheek) Mwah!

INO: _Oh, Shikamaru! I love you!_

EBISU: _Iruka, what are they doing?_

IRUKA: _They're having a pretend-wedding! Today, it's Ino and Shikamaru's wedding! Cute, eh?_

NARUTO: _Okay, who wants to marry ME next!?_

HINATA: (plays with fingers and blushes) _Uh… Um…_

NARUTO: _Sakura-chan, you wanna kiss me, don't cha?_

SAKURA: _What!? Are you out of your mind!? _(turns to Sasuke) _Sasuke-kun, I'm ready any time!_

SASUKE: …

INO & SHIKAMARU: (smiling and laughing)

_---FLASHBACK ENDS---_

Then, Ino remembered _another _sweet moment they had together- the night at the unisex hot springs!

"That was when we were still with Asuma-sensei," Ino said, "You were trying to peep at me!"

"_NO_, I WAS _NOT_!!!" Shikamaru yelled, "It's just that your huge boobies were so distracting… Gulp."

_---FLASHBACK BEGINS---_

"You guys can relax here while I go look out for that bandit!" Asuma told his team, "Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, have a nice day!"

And quickly, he vanished into thin air.

"So… Now what?" Shikamaru asked.

"I'm hungry!" Choji answered, "I'll go out and get some food!"

And out he went, rubbing his tummy… _"Haraheta…"_

"I'll be in the hot spring, if you'll need me." Shikamaru said.

He went out, leaving Ino all alone inside the room.

In the hot spring, as Shikamaru was peacefully cooling down, being lazy, he suddenly heard footsteps coming towards the spring. He looked around until he saw a figure of a woman appeared in front of him in the form of a silhouette in the smoke.

"Wow… She's hot!" he said.

Slowly, the woman went closer. His heart pounded more and more and more, until…

"INO!? That sexy babe was YOU!?"

"What are you trying to put up here!?" Ino said, "Of course it's me!"

"Wow…" Shikamaru said, "Your breasts look bigger when you're only wearing a towel around your body…"

Ino blushed and didn't say a word. Slowly, but seductively, she went down to the spring to take a bath. Shikamaru watched her every move, feeling like his nose was gonna bleed sooner or later… Nothing intimate happened, but wasn't that sexy?

_---FLASHBACK ENDS---_

"Heheh..." Ino smirked, "I knew you had some perverted-ness in you!"

And with that, they went on eating until they were finally done.

"Okay! Let's decorate the tree!"


	64. Chapter 64

**Chapter 64- Decorating the tree, with love, of course…**

"Hey, um- Shikamaru, could you give me a hand here?"

"Sure, what can I do for you?"

"Could you make sure I don't fall off or anything?"

"Baby, I'd do anything for you."

Ino was on the highest step of the ladder, putting purple and green Christmas balls on the tree.

**AUTHORS NOTE: You might be wondering… _Why purple and green? _Well, Ino likes purple, doesn't she? And Shikamaru's a green freak! Heheh… Okay, back to the story!**

Shikamaru went up to the third step (the ladder had five steps) and held Ino's waist tight.

"Wow… You're really sexy!" Shikamaru said.

Ino suddenly lost her concentration and fell on him.

THUD!

It was a good thing she landed on Shikamaru, though! His arms were around her waist and the two of them were on the floor.

"Shikamaru, you okay?" Ino asked, shaking him.

"You know," Shikamaru replied, "Your panty has a really cute design! Cherries…"

Ino suddenly frowned and yelled, "PERVERT!!!" Quickly, she stood up, wiped the dust off her shirt and said, "You do the higher part of the tree! I wouldn't want you seeing anything else next!"

Shikamaru blushed, stood up and laughed. "Sure! Okay! I'll be seeing you from the top then! With what you're wearing, I'd be able to see the top view of those huge boobies!"

Ino gasped. "YOU REALLY ARE A PERVERT, AREN'T YOU!? Okay then! Have it _your way!_" Suddnely, Ino laid herself down on the floor and spread her legs… "If you're _so _excited, go ahead and give it to me… Come on, I know you want to!"

"Nah, I promised I'd do _that _after we get married…" Shikamaru told her, "I'm keeping that promise!"

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"Hey, guys! I'm here to help!" called the voice from outside. Shikamaru went to the door and opened it, surprised to see Kiba standing there, together with Hinata. Kiba caught a glimpse of Ino spreading her legs on the floor and said, "OH, I'M TERRIBLY SORRY!!! Were the two of you busy together?"

"HUH? WHAT!? NO!" Ino said, quickly sitting up, "We weren't doing anything! It… It's really kind of you to help us in decorating the tree, Kiba, Hinata."

"Heheh…" Hinata giggled.

"Come inside," Shikamaru said, "It must be freezing where you're standing."

"Thank you!" Kiba said, "Come on, Hinata!"

The two of them went inside and was amazed when they saw the decorations in Shikamaru's house.

"Wow… Did Ino do all of this?" Hinata asked, "It's amazing!"

"I'm lucky I have her!" Shikamaru replied, "So, are the two of you together?"

"Well, you could say that!" Kiba chuckled nervously, "I asked her out last night and well, I guess this could be the start of a new relationship! Wouldn't you say so, Hinata?"

"Yeah," Hinata blushed.

"Okay then! Let's start helping these lovers out!"

Kiba and Hinata started putting the decorations on the tree. Ino smiled as she looked at the two of them looking so cute together! I hope they don't get into any fights, she said to herself.

The snow continued falling outside. The winds grew colder as the days passed by. Christmas was indeed coming! What's up next for Ino and Shikamaru?

**I don't know when I'll be able to update next! But unless I put "THE END," this fic is _still in progress! _Stay posted! Thanks. ;-) SK**

_**Oh I saw Sasuke kissing Naruto…**_

_**Underneath a mistletoe last night…**_

_**But he didn't see me creep…**_

_**Down the stairs to make a pee…**_

_**He thought I was in bed…**_

_**With Kakashi and Rock Lee…**_

_**Heheheh… Happy Holidays, y'all!**_


	65. Chapter 65

**Sorry! Delays, delays! It's our Christmas break, you see!**

**The laziness is getting into me… AGAIN. ;-)**

**Chapter 65- Chestnuts roasting on an open fire… Hey, ain't dat a song?**

"Uh, Kiba-kun, I think it's time to go now. Shino-kun wants us by 7:30, doesn't he?"

"Oh… Yeah…"

Shikamaru's fireplace was lit. Hinata and Kiba stood up and brushed the dust off their clothes.

"You guys going now?" Shikamaru asked, "That's a shame, you just got here…"

"Yeah, I know." Kiba replied, "But Shino told us to come over at his place for a little Christmas gathering! You know, for old times' sake."

"He'll get really angry if Kiba and I don't show-up!" Hinata giggled nervously as she started playing with her fingers, "So we really have to get going now…"

Ino stood up, held Hinata's hands and said, "Well, thanks for coming over to help us with the tree! It was really kind of you to do that."

"No problem," Hinata said, "You know we're always here to help!"

Suddenly, Kiba's phone started ringing… _Hello Moto… _**(Yes, I know. Everytime a phone rings in this fic, the ringtone's always that Motorola thingy… I like it! You gotta problem wid dat?) 00**

"That must be Shino right now…" Kiba growled, "Darn. And then he's gonna tell us to rush and stuff… That guy gets in my nerves sometimes, and it's really annoying, dammit!

"Thanks for the coffee. We gotta get goin' now.

"Bye!"

"Um- Kiba! Wait!"

"Huh? What is it?" Kiba said.

"We'll be having a Christmas party here on Christmas eve, you see…" Shikamaru said, "Everyone's invited! So, if the two of you aren't busy or anything…"

"Sure! Hinata and I'll be there, alright!" Kiba said, "You can count on it!"

Shikamaru sighed and smiled. "Thanks, Kiba. Oh, and could'ya tell Naruto and the others for me?"

"Will do, Shikamaru. Will do!"

"Thanks, Kiba. You're a pal."

_Hello Moto…_

"DARN! This thing won't stop ringing!

"That's it! Now, we're really going.

"I'll see you lovebirds soon."


	66. Chapter 66

**On a scale of 1-10, How Perverted am I? rhetorical question… But if you wanna answer it, it's ok. Just popped into my head,**

**Chapter 66- Swweet Evening Alone Together…**

'_**Alone Together…' Aren't 'Alone' and 'Together' opposites!? Heheh…**_

The night was young… The fire in the fireplace was still burning. Ino and Shikamaru were sitting together, very close to each other, like two birds cuddling into each other on a tree.

"Hah… Just the two of us at last…" Shikamaru sighed as he held Ino's hand, "Whoa… You're pretty warm."

"If it were cold, I'd be DEAD." Ino laughed.

"Eheheheh…" Shikamaru gulped, "Looks like my wit's gotten into you already, Ino-san…"

"Oh please, don't call me that!" Ino said, "We're pretty close now, so… Just 'Ino' will do…"

"Okay, Ino…"

Then, Shikamaru looked at the Christmas tree that had just been furnished beautifully by Kiba and Hinata.

"They did a really good job on that tree, wouldn't you say?"

"Better than I would've done, perhaps…" Ino sighed.

"Don't say that!" Shikamaru said, "I don't mean that! In fact, you did a really nice job decorating the WHOLE HOUSE!!! Hey, ya still beat them! All they did was a tree, right?"

"But… But…" Ino's eyes were starting to water.

"Aw, please don't cry…" Shikamaru said.

"But… BUT…!!!"

"Ino, onegai shimasu…"

"BUT…"

Then, she exploded. "BUT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO DO THE TREE TOGETHER!!!" Then, she started sobbing… "Kiba and Hinata were a big help, but… But, but I was really looking forward to the _both of us _doing it! Ohhh!!!"

Shikamaru patted Ino's back and said, "Well, there's always a next year, right?"

"BUT I CAN'T WAIT _THAT _LONG!!!" Ino cried out, "I'm not a very patient person, you know that!"

"Come on, Ino! You'd just have to wait another 366 days, or somethin' like that…"

"THAT'S TOO LONG!!!"

Then, Ino started crying again. Shikamaru comfortingly patted her on the back until suddenly, he saw something shiny gleaming on the carpeted floor.

"Um, Ino…"

"What is it!?"

"I think there's still something the tree is missing!" he said in a joyful sing-song tone, "It's still missing something!"

"Huh? What?"

"How'd you like to put the star _together, _hmmm?"

And immediately, Ino's sad frown became a bright happy smile.

"OKAY!" she yelled.

And the night went on sweetly…

"Shikamaru! Don't get to close to me! I might fall!"

"That's a shame! You feel so good close to me like this…"

"Um-Shikamaru,"

"Yes?"

"Let's put this star on the tree together, okay?"

"Sure."

Shikamaru gently placed his hand next to Ino's and the two of them held the golden star that was to be put at the treetop.

Slowly and carefully, they stretched their arms to reach the very top until…

"EUREEKA!!!"

The star was finally at the very top of Shikamaru's Christmas tree. The two of them went down the tree and looked at the star.

"Wow… It's pretty!" Ino exclaimed, "Um- Shikamaru, I, uh…"

"What is it, Ino?" Shikamaru replied.

"I know this sounds kinda awkward and all…" Ino answered as she once again began playing with her fingers, "There's one question I'd like to ask you…

HOW MANY KIDS WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE WHEN WE GET MARRIED?"

"Huh?" Shikamaru blushed, "Now where'd you get that all of a sudden!?"

"Nothing, just curious…" Ino blushed.

"Two kids, actually… One boy and one girl…"

"Oh!" Ino gasped, "That's cute! Well, the reason I asked was because… I wanted to tell you… That… If we had a girl, I'd like to name her after the stars! How does 'Hoshiko' sound?"

"Hoshiko?"

"Yeah!"

Shikamaru smiled and hugged Ino tenderly.

"Hoshiko… Is a wonderful name."

And on the night went… Peaceful, sweet, loving… I'M RUNNING OUTTA ADJECTIVES HERE.

**Til then, dear readers! I have to go now… My gal wants her Kon plushie…**

**Bye bye butterfly! –Sk ;-)**


	67. Chapter 67

**Man, this fic is really taking long! It's Chapter 67 ALREADY!?**

**Boy, how time flies! And I'm doing a yaoi fanfic on Bleach at the same time!**

**Multitasking will make my hair turn white, but the hell I don't care!! **

**For the love of anime and writing, I will do anything.**

**Chapter 67- Free Christmas Concert**

Meanwhile, back at home, as Ino was dusting the furniture, the phone suddenly started ringing so she picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Ino! It's Sai."

"Sai! Uh… Hello."

Ino felt nervous as she spoke with him on the phone. Despite what had happened the last time she was with him, her heart started to beat frantically, as if she was being chased.

"Are you free tonight?" Sai asked.

Upon hearing this question, Ino immediately put down the phone and stared at it.

"Was he gonna ask me out!?" she freaked. Suddenly, the phone started ringing again. She picked it up immediately and yelled, "HELLO! IF THIS IS SAI, NO I AM NOT GOING ON A DATE WITH YOU!"

"Ino!" Sai replied, "I _wasn't _gonna ask you out, you know! I know you and Shikamaru belong together…"

"Then why were you asking if I was free tonight?" Ino asked.

There was a pause after she asked that.

"Ummm…" Sai began, "I was… Kinda… Sorta… I was wondering if…"

"If _what?"_

"If you guys could come to my band's concert tonight at seven. Bring Shikamaru with you, too."

"Concert?"

"Yup…"

Ino smiled and said, "Gee, Sai! I noticed it only now! You're the lead singer and lead guitarist of Soul Serenade, right?"

"Yup, that's my band!" Sai replied, "We're not that famous, yet… And this is our first concert… It would mean a lot to us if you can come!"

"I'll see what I can do!" Ino smiled, "Hey, could I invite Naruto and the others to come along? I'm pretty sure they'd be psyched to watch your band perform!"

"Sure!" Sai answered, "The more, the merrier as they always say!"

Then, Sai put the phone down. Ino leaned on the wall, sighed in relief and said, "Thank goodness he wasn't gonna ask me on a date… Phew…"


	68. Chapter 68

**How was your Christmas? My dog won't stop chewing on my leg. I'm scared. **

**Well, I _was _a cat in my past life… Guess that explains why I hate getting hit by cold water and why I like to sleep a lot. (yawns) Maybe one more chapter will do for the night! I'll try to resume writing tomorrow. ;-)**

**Chapter 69- ANOTHER Akatsuki Commercial, Just for you guys.**

**Many people liked my Akatsuki commercials, so… Here's another one! Hope you enjoy it.**

It was a dark day at the Akatsuki hideout, as usual. Red clouds flew as everyone was busy planning… Planning their Christmas lists, that is!

"Itachi, what would you want from me this Christmas?" Deidra asked. Then he blushed, "I'm doing my gift list, you see…"

Itachi smiled at him and slowly wrapped his arms around Deidra. His dark eyes were just too seductive to stand… And his hands… Slowly reaching down Deidra's body… You couldn't help but blush even more and feel your blood pressure rising.

"Deidra…" Itachi said lovingly, "With you,

"There is nothing more I shall want.

"You complete me."

Deidra blushed even more and hugged Itachi tightly. "That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me." he said, "You're really kind, Itachi. That's why I fell in love with you."

"Yeah, I know." Itachi said, brushing his hair aside, "I am irresistible."

Suddenly, Tobi came and saw them hugging each other. "I knew somethin' fishy was going on here…"

"TOBI!!!" Deidra gasped as he immediately pushed Itachi away from him, "I… I… I… We were doing nothing!"

"Yeah, right…" Tobi smirked, "As if I'd believe that!"

"They were being all lovey-dovey, just in case you wanted to know." Sasori joined in, "That was really sweet, you guys! I never knew you were so romantic, Itachi!"

"Shut the crap up," Itachi yelled.

Deidra sat down in one corner, ashamed of what he had done. "Damn… If only I knew that Tobi and Sasori were watching us, I never would've done that…"

"Uh-huh, something fishy is happening indeed!" Tobi laughed, "Some sweet couple you are!"

"Speaking of something **fishy,"** Itachi said, "Where in the world is Kisame? I haven't seen him all day."

Finally getting out of the subject, Deidra decided to join in the group once again.

"He must've been in his room the whole day!" Deidra replied, "If not, maybe in the ocean pretending he's a mermaid… Trust me, I've seen him doing that so many times before."

A huge sweat drop slid from Itachi's, Tobi's and Sasori's heads.

"What could he be doing in his room?" Itachi asked.

"Gee, I dunno." Tobi answered, shrugging his shoulders, "Come to think of it, I haven't seen Hidan the whole day, either."

Suddenly, a disgusting thought entered Sasori's mind.

"What do you think might they be doing!?" Sasori screamed, "IN ONE ROOM… KISAME'S, TO BE EXACT… ALONE TOGETHER… IN _THAT _ROOM… ALONE… JUST THE TWO OF THEM…"

"Where the heck did you get an idea like _that!? _It's disgusting!" Deidra yelled, hitting Sasori's head with a harisen that came outta nowhere, "They can't possibly be _together_, can they?"

"Maybe, maybe not." Tobi replied.

"Then there's only way to find out…" Itachi said, "We have to barge into that room and see what they're doing…"

Immediately, the four of them tiptoed quietly to Kisame's room. Tobi tried wiggling the knob, but it was locked.

"Dammit, it's locked." He said.

"Wait, I hear something." Deidra told them, putting his ear on the door, "They're both in here."

"Darn you, Kisame." Itachi cursed, "You and Hidan were together and never told me? Darn you."

Soon, all four of them were leaning against the door, listening…

KISAME: Oh, Hidan! Thanks for coming over to my room today!

HIDAN: No, it's nothing, really…

KISAME: Man, if Itachi found out about this, he'd be REALLY mad at me!

ITACHI: Hex on you, I'm mad now…

TOBI: What could they be doing!?

SASORI: SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

KISAME: This is gonna be fun…

HIDAN: Tell me about it!

DEIDRA: That's it, let's barge in! On the count of three…

One…

Two…

THREE!

(BANG!)

And Kisame's door got a huge hole in it, thanks to Itachi, Deidra, Tobi and Sasori. The four of them were surprised to see Kisame and Hidan sitting in front of the television, not making-out.

"What the… Weren't you guys lovers?" Itachi asked.

"Lovers!?" Kisame guffawed, "Now what gave you that idea?"

"The two of you were in this room the whole day!" Sasori replied, "What else could the two of you be doing?"

Immediately, Deidra peeked and saw what was on television.

"I can't believe it…" he said, "You guys stayed here the whole day…

…FOR THIS!?"

BARNEY: I love you!

"Today was the Barney Marathon!" Kisame explained, "Hidan and I didn't want to miss it!"

Then, Hidan, bringing out an 'I Love Barney' T-shirt, said, "Kisame and I are part of the Barney Fan Club, you see!"

Veins bulged all over Itachi's face.

"Told'ya he'd get mad if he found out…" Kisame told Hidan.

BARNEY: Give me a hug!

**Sigh. I'll wrap it up for the night! I'm all tired and sleepy now… I'll try to continue the story tomorrow. Bye! ;-)**


	69. Chapter 69

**I'll skip ahead to the Christmas FARTY (heheh. FART-y!) in Shikamaru's house coz I'm getting really impatient here and I want this fic to end as soon as possible so I can finally work on the sequel, where the juicy sexiness all begins… (evil grin) Ratings will go higher in the sequel, so watch out for it if you're so damn in love with Shika X Ino and with me! Heheheh… **

**Now who the hell'd be so friggin' damn in love with me?...**

**ME, of course. (winkwink, nudgenudge) Okay, get on with it already! I'm bored…**

**P.S. If you're wondering about Sai's band concert, it was cancelled due to some anti-Bean rally… Bean's an OC I just suddenly created and everyone tortures her and so I have a good excuse for skipping some parts. Bwahahahaha!**

**Chapter 69- The Long-awaited Christmas party!!!**

Weeks have passed… Finally, the much-awaited day- December 23- Just a few more days before Christmas- everyone was to meet each other in Shikamaru's house for the biggest Christmas party of the year! At exactly seven in the evening, the living room was filled with guests and loud noise. Nothing but Christmas songs came out of the radio. Lights brightened up the whole place with the dreamy Christmas feeling and gave everyone in the room the spirit of giving.

"Who's up for some karaoke!?" Lee yelled to everyone right after he had just finished drinking a bottle of sake. "If anyone's brave enough to take me on, BRING IT ON I AM READY BABY!!"

"My band's concert was cancelled, so maybe some karaoke will make up for everything!" Sai replied smirking happily, "I'll sing to my heart's content!"

"Don't think I'll go easy on you, pretty boy! Let's do this thang!"

And from the corners, Gai cheered his beloved fuzzy-browed student on. "Yeah! Go, Lee! You show 'em who's boss! You will be my one and only American Idol!"

"Oh, Gai-sensei! I don't know what to say!" Lee yelled over the microphone. "American Idol!? But I thought we were like, Japanese! Awww, darn it."

Slowly, Lee sat down on the comfy green sofa and browsed through the Magic Sing song catalog. He looked and he looked until he finally saw the song he was going to sing… He punched the numbers in and when the music finally began playing, everyone went around to see the Ultimate Magic Sing Competition between Rock Lee and Sai! And so he went on with his song, singing…

"_I can't take my eyes off you…"_

A sentimental mode filled the air and everyone felt peaceful and calm. It was only when he got to the chorus when everyone suddenly turned into their party-mode selves and started dancing… A giant disco ball suddenly descended from the ever-so-high ceiling and spun as the floors suddenly started lighting up, flashing in neon colors as Lee sang:

"_I LOVE YOU BABY AND IF IT'S QUITE ALRIGHT_

_I NEED YOU BABY TO WARM MY LONELY NIGHTS…"_

The song went on and on until finally, the score twirled, and danced, and bounced, and spun, and swiveled across the TV screen until finally it popped! Right in the middle of the TV screen, in big pink numbers, was the number 96.

"Wow. I can't believe he got a 96 for that song…" Naruto rubbed his eyes, "That's gonna be pretty hard to beat, Sai!"

"Don't worry, I can handle that!" Sai smirked. Then he took the song catalog and browsed through the many selections. "This is gonna be a free concert from me! Nobody else comes up THIS CLOSE.

"And now… This is the song I'm gonna sing for all of you…

"With matching choreography…

"An ever-famous Christmas Carol…!!!

"JINGLE BELL ROCK!!!"

Then, he punched in the numbers and pressed ENTER. Finally, groovy upbeat music began playing and when he began singing, he as well, began dancing the choreography of Jingle Bell Rock from the movie, Mean Girls! It's kinda hard to describe, so please try your best to imagine the scene instead.

"_Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock!" _(slaps thighs)

The party went on and on until Moegi tapped Ino's shoulder, with a worried look on her face.

"Ino-san… There's… Something I need to tell you…"

"What is it?" Ino asked politely, still enjoying the party.

"Come with me outside."

The two of them quietly snuck out of the house and went outside to the garden to talk.

Can you feel the goosebumps setting in?


	70. Chapter 70

**Wow… I'm in the 70th chapter of this fic already? That's like… Ten times seven plus one minus one. Sugoi! A big, BEEEEEEEG OMEDETO to ME! I'm so happy! I've never accomplished a story THIS LONG… And yet I'm still doing a part two on this… Yay! I can't wait!**

**I'm also currently working on a manga… My dream is to become a great manga artist someday so I'm having a friend post it somewhere, so please try to check it out! I need readers! Desperately! If you like my fics, I'm pretty sure you'll like my mangas as well. If you happen to hate my fics, still, please read my manga! I don't mean to brag, but I'm a great artist… You can e-mail me your comments about the story. I'll tell you when I have the details. Thanks and another big ARIGATOU and OMEDETO to Beata-chan! ;-)**

**I'm doing this fic while watching Shrek at the same time…**

**Chapter 70- Rumors, Tears and Regret**

Moegi and Ino dashed outside to the garden to talk. Ino was still smiling from all the laughs she had when she listened to Lee's singing, while Moegi suddenly put on a sad frown and became serious. The two of them sat down on the snowy grass, with the stars shining brightly above them and the snow still falling.

"So… What did you want to talk to me about, Moegi-chan?" Ino asked, "You know, by the look on your face, I'll bet it's really depressing!"

"Trust me, Ino-san." Moegi sighed, "It _is _depressing. For me, and I'm pretty sure for you as well."

Ino's happy smile soon turned into a deeply worried look.

Moegi began the conversation with a question, a very awkward question.

"Have you ever felt that Shikamaru was… Cheating on you?"

Ino gasped as she heard this. Her heart suddenly started beating wildly like a drum and she suddenly felt very, very nervous.

"Now where'd a question like that come from?" Ino asked, "No! Shikamaru would _never _cheat on me! I know just how much he loves me so there's no way…"

Before she can complete her statement, Moegi flashed a very striking photo in front of her.

It was the photo that Udon took, the one with Shikamaru and Temari at the café together.

Ino was shocked. Surprised. Upset! "What the…

"But…

"He couldn't!

"Shikamaru wouldn't do such a thing…

"No! No! No!" Ino was traumatized and so she started yelling while pulling her hair. "Give me that!" She grabbed the photo from Moegi's hand and stared at it for a while. Shikamaru and Temari were both laughing, making her get even angrier. Moegi was too scared to say anything.

"When did you take this?" Ino asked, breathing heavily and sweating.

"A-a-actually, it was Udon who took that photo!" Moegi answered nervously as she played with her fingers, "Ko-Konohamaru and I saw the two of them together just a week ago and… We thought _you _needed to know about this, Ino-san…"

"Why didn't you guys tell me sooner, then?" Ino asked her, with tears almost coming out of her eyes.

Moegi sighed and looked down at her feet, which were both sinking into the snowy ground.

"The two of you just look so happy in love with each other…" Then, she pulled the hem of Ino's skirt, fell on her knees and begged, "Please! Don't tell me you're gonna break-up with him!"

Ino sighed in grief and replied, "I don't know, Moegi… I don't know if I really could trust him or not…"

The two of them stood under the pale moonlight, feeling scared, worried and confused. Moegi looked at Ino with troubled eyes as the blonde stood there, as if she was about to cry because of the photo that she held in her hand.

"I don't know what I should do…" Ino thought. "This picture… Shikamaru was with another woman… If I ask him about this, something bad might happen if the two of them really weren't doing anything together!

"But then again, what if Shikamaru really _is _cheating on me?

"What should I do?

"I need help…

"I love him so, but I'm confused…

"Does he really love me too?"

Ino sighed and looked up at the dark night sky. Then, a tear slowly ran down her face. What's a girl to do when she is uncertain of her lover's feelings? Should she just keep silent about it, not knowing that her lover is actually going out with another girl? Or should she leave him forever when nothing has really happened between him and another woman?

Love is confusing and can sometimes be a pain in the butt… What's coming up for this sweet couple?

**More suspense and more traumas when we return! **

**For now, I must retreat and work on the dialogues for my manga. I'm excited! ;-) **

**Doobiliciously sexy and still young,**

**Sexee Kakashi**

**(Break it down, yeah…)**


	71. Chapter 71

**Wouldn't Shino's dad and Kiba's mom make a cute couple? Heheheh… Ü**

**Chapter 71- Accidentally in Love, Under the Mistletoe… A Chappie dedicated to NaruSasu!**

While Ino and Moegi were busy being all serious and worried outside, everyone else was having lots of fun back in the house. Hours have passed and they've played lots of games, ate a lot of food, drank a lot of beer and of course, talked a lot about anything that would come into their heads.

The old teachers- Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, Kurenai, Anko, Shizune, Ibiki and Iruka talked about the old times, back when ninjas still existed… The chuunin exams, going out on missions and stuff like that. Too bad Tsunade and Jiraiya couldn't make it; they were getting a bit too old for parties, so they just stayed home and watched American Idol and The Simpsons all day long. And if you're wondering why Genma, Raido, Izumo and Kotetsu weren't there, they went to Okinawa for a Christmas break.

Lee was still mad coz he lost to Sai in their ultimate karaoke challenge. He just sat on the sofa, drinking more and more bottles of sake until he finally got all nuts that Neji had to knock him out. Poooor Lee!

Tenten and Hinata were talking about many different things. And during their conversation, Tenten mentioned about being pregnant with Neji's kid. Early this afternoon, Sakura came over to see why she wouldn't stop throwing-up. And the reason was because she was going to have a baby in around seven months (meaning she's already two months pregnant.)

"Wow! That's great news!" Hinata squealed joyfully, "The Hyuuga Clan is finally going to have a new member! I'm happy you and Neji-san are finally going to have a child!"

"I know!" Tenten replied, "In fact, Neji was so excited, he couldn't stop jumping around the house all day long after he found out I was pregnant!"

And there he was, talking with Kiba, Choji and Shikamaru… Hyuuga Neji- jumping up and down, running around the house and screaming to everyone like a complete idiot.

"I'M GONNA BE A FATHER!!! YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

And in one corner of the living room, Sakura and Sasuke were sitting peacefully on the sofa, with a mistletoe hanging above their heads.

"No, seriously." Sasuke said, "Who the hell hung this damn thing here?"

"That's not important!" Sakura replied shyly, "What matters now is what we should do with it!"

Then, she leaned forward, made goo-goo eyes and continued, "Why don't we…"

Sasuke began to blush as Sakura slowly went closer and closer to him, just waiting for her lips to touch his. His heart was beating, he was sweating, but a feeling of excitement was felt between them, as husband and wife. It was only an inch away when suddenly…

"SAKURA-CHAAAAAAAAAN!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Naruto ran as fast as he could and pushed Sakura away, therefore creating a very familiar scene that had happened long, long ago in Ninja Academy. Sasuke and Naruto… On the sofa… Making-out… UNDER A MISTLETOE… Can it get any better?

"Sa-Sasuke! I… I'm sorry I didn't mean to!!!" Naruto panicked.

Sasuke just said nothing and stared down at the floor, blushing deeply coz of what just happened. "That felt… Good…" he thought.

Sakura was enraged by what had happened. She was thrown recklessly onto the floor and once again, Naruto stole a kiss from Sasuke that was supposed to be hers! She was really mad and so she ran to Naruto and started beating him sensless.

"Naruto!" she yelled as she bonked him hard on the head with her fist, "How dare you steal my kiss!"

"I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan!!" Poor Naruto replied trying to defend himself from Sakura's wrath, "But you were getting too close to each other!"

"Sasuke 'n' I are married, goddammit!!!" Sakura answered, "We're _supposed _to be close to one another!!!"

And she went on beating the hell outta him…

"Sakura-chan! Yamete, Sakura-chan!!! AAAAGH!!! ITAI DATTEBAYO!!!"

SASUKE: That was really good… I feel so alive and refreshed… After so many years, Naruto has kissed me again… I like that… I love it… Naruto… Mmmm… Delicious… I feel like I'm in heaven…

Meanwhile, as Sakura was beating the hell outta Naruto and as Sasuke was dreaming of his love, we find Shikamaru, Kiba, Choji and Shino (otherwise known as the Street Punks in my language…) talking about stuff in one corner of the room, holding ice-cold bottles of San Miguel Beer… Lite… San Mig Lite…

"So, how's the restaurant business going?" Kiba asked, "My animal shelter's starting to get kinda chaotic these days! The animals have gone wild! Luckily, I have Hinata to help me. She's a sweetie!"

"Customers are coming as usual!" Choji replied, "They just can't resist my delicious dishes! Tama's been working really hard, so I decided to raise her salary since it _is _Christmas…"

"Sounds like you and Tama are pretty close, eh?" Shikamaru commented, "How cute."

Choji slightly blushed and said, "Gee, ya think so?"

"How 'bout you, Shino-dono?" Shikamaru said, "How've things been in the museum lately?"

"Things have gone pretty well so far. The ambience is always peaceful and quiet." Shino replied, "Since people seldom visit the museum, my bugs and I like to hang-out and look around. Things only get annoying when I have to be a guide for those troublesome elementary school girls during field trips."

"Well, I'm sure glad that it's your Christmas break! The next time you'll be seeing those elementary school girls is like… Next year!" Shikamaru said.

"You said it." Shino replied.

"Well, how about you, Shikamaru?" Kiba asked. Then, he whispered, "Has Temari-san given you any marriage proposal tips yet?"

"Huh!?" Shikamaru gasped, blushing deep red, "Well, um… Yeah! She's been a really great help with my problem. Her tips are really creative… I mean, she didn't give me any cliché ideas for a proposal…"

"Then if that's the case, I'm pretty sure Ino couldn't say no to you, buddy!" Choji said, "I smell a happy ending for the both of you!"

"Gee, really?" Shikamaru replied, "Thanks."


	72. Chapter 72

**I've downloaded 4 songs from Bleach! And I did it ALL BY MYSELF!!! Usually, I'd rely on others to burn my anime songs for me, since Limewire is a really troublesome thing… It was slowing our PC down when is downloaded it from the net, so I deleted it. Am I great or what!?**

**Chapter 72- Still in love, or no longer in love? The cry of Ino's heart…**

After a long talk outside, Ino and Moegi come back inside with sad looks on their faces. Ino was confused whether Shikamaru was cheating on her or not while Moegi sympathized with her. The two of them walked back to where the party was happening. When they got in there, Shikamaru immediately saw Ino who looked pretty sad and depressed. He quickly rushed to her, comforted her and held her tight. Since they were creating such a scene, Choji and the others couldn't help but tease him with whistles and loud howls. Ino felt happy as her lover held her tenderly in his arms. But her heart, somehow, was crying deep inside, feeling hated and like it was tossed away.

"Shikamaru…" she said softly, "I'm a bit tired. I'll go upstairs now, if you don't mind. This day's just been…

"A little too hard for me."

And with that, Shikamaru smiled sweetly and said, "Okay. Sweet dreams, princess!" Then, he pecked her softly on the cheek, once again making Choji and Kiba howl out really loud. After that, Ino slowly and sadly walked up the stairs. She thought of the photo that Moegi had shown her. Shikamaru and Temari were together, laughing and smiling and it was bothering her. Yes, she's seen lots of her ex-boyfriends cheating on her before, but…

"Shikamaru's not the same…" she said to herself softly, "He's not like those other guys I used to love… Why is… his impact on me so big? Why is the photo of him and Temari bothering me? Seeing my ex-boyfriends dating other girls hurt back then, but…

"By just seeing a photo of my man now with someone else… Pretty much hurts more than what I felt when I saw my past loves with other women…"

Then when she finally reached the top, tears started falling from her eyes as she looked down at Shikamaru, laughing and having fun with his boys. And on the other side was Temari, joining Tenten and Hinata in their conversation. She gazed at them for a moment until she saw Temari walking over to where Shikamaru was. Ino's heart started beating wildly and she felt nervous as she saw her greatest rival walking up to the man she loves the most. Immediately, Ino ran to her room with tears flying all over the place. She slammed the door shut and it was heard by most of the people who were partying downstairs.

"What the friggin' hell was that!?" Kankurou yelled.

"Must've been the friggin' door which was blown by the friggin' wind…" Gaara replied, "What're you so friggin' scared about? It's pretty friggin' annoying, you friggin' older brother."

"Well, FRIGGIN' SORRY for ASKIN' YOU, you friggin' little brother who's so friggin' serious all the friggin' time!" Kankurou yelled back, "It's so friggin' annoying you don't smile!"

"Well it's pretty friggin' annoying you _still _have those friggin' purple doodles all over your friggin' big ass face." Gaara replied.

"WHAT THE FRIGGIN' HELL DID YOU SAY!? WELL, I'M NOT THE FRIGGIN' ONE WITH NO EYEBROWS ON HIS FRIGGIN' BIGGER ASS FACE, YA KNOW!" Kankurou answered.

"Cat head!"

"No brows!"

"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!"

The two of them argued, using the word 'friggin' in every sentence they shot back at each other.

"You're so friggin' annoying!"

"Sick 'em, sand…"

"What the… AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Get me down, you friggin' no-browed sibling!"

"What? Sorry, I can't friggin' hear you. What the friggin' hell came outta your friggin' mouth?"

Meanwhile, back upstairs, we find Ino crying desperately over the photo of Temari and Shikamaru. She was seated at a desk, with a pen and paper. And on the paper, she wrote down everything that her heart felt. Anger, misery, greed, lust and despair.

_What can a girl like me do_

_With a very uneasy guy like you?_

_Sometimes my mind just can't think_

_Sometimes I just want to sink._

_Love is really pressuring me_

_So maybe I should just set you free._

_I think it's clear I'm not the one_

_The one for you to care and love._

_It's obvious you've got someone else_

_Someone else, not me._

_These days with you have been so blessed_

_But now I think I'm getting obsessed._

_And since I know I'm not the one_

_I think it's better I'd be gone._

_Shikamaru, I love you and please do know_

_It's hard for me to let you go._

_But I know Temari's the girl you love,_

_Best wishes to the both of you, love,_

_Ino._

And with that, a final teardrop fell on the poem, creating a blot of ink on an empty space. Stains of her pain were seen everywhere on that paper. Then, she stood up, carried her bag full of belongings and prepared to leave for good. But before that, she placed the photo of Shikamaru and Temari next to the poem she had written for Shikamaru. Then, she shed one last tear before she opened the window and jumped out. She landed softly on her feet, then ran as quick as she could, are far as she could, to get away from everything related to love and Shikamaru.

**AUTHOR'S COMMENT: Honestly, I wanna cry and shed tears of my own. This scene is just so… Heart-piercing. –sobs- I feel you, Ino!!! Don't worry, your dear author will try to think of something to bring the two of you back. There's no way I'll let this fic end in tears! There is just NO WAY!**

The party went on 'til morning. Shikamaru and the guys were happy, not knowing that something bad was about to happen. The sun rose the following morning, but Shikamaru felt a very different aura. He felt as if… There was no one else in the house.


	73. Chapter 73

**That last chapter was rather depressing, ne?**

**Chapter 73- An Unusually Cold Morning**

The sun rose, but the clouds still took over the wintery sky with their sad, grayish tints. At the moment of waking up, Shikamaru immediately felt that something was wrong. He felt a very empty space beside him. Since Ino wasn't asleep beside him on his bed, he thought she might be in the other room, the original room she was told to stay in before the two of them confessed their love and fell head over heels with each other.

He quickly put on his lucky green robe and ran as fast as he could to Ino's room. He banged the door open, and saw no one on the bed. He popped from place to place, looking for Ino, but she was absolutely nowhere to be found. He checked the closet and saw that all her fabulous clothes were gone! His heart began pounding violently. He began to get nervous when he saw the windows open.

"Oh no… She must've fallen out!"

Immediately, he ran to the window and looked down outside to check if Ino was there, dead and broken into a million pieces. Luckily and unluckily, she wasn't outside flat on her face either. Shikamaru was getting desperate. He sat on the bed and thought where his beloved Ino might be. If she were cooking downstairs, he should've smelled the teasing aroma of fresh eggs frying in a pan. If she were doing the laundry, he should've heard the washing machine whirring and wining. The wind blew coldly, that a piece of paper flew and went slapping into his face.

"Ow!" he said getting the paper. "What the hell…"

Annoyed because a piece of paper flew slapping into his face, he suddenly became really scared when he saw the name 'Ino' written at the very bottom, with a huge blot right beside it. His eyes grew bigger as he stared at it.

"Ino…" he sighed desperately. "_She _wrote this? But when? Why? How…"

Then, he began the tear-jotting, heart-breaking, mind-bothering poem that his lover wrote last night while he was busy partying with the rest of his friends.

Tears began falling from his eyes as he read from line to line. Every little word he read added up to the number of tears that fell out from his eyes. His hand was shaking from all the nervousness he felt.

"Ino, how could you write this?" he said as he read on, "How!?"

Then, he finally got to _that _part…

_And since I know I'm not the one_

_I think it's better I'd be gone._

"Ino? Gone!? But… but why?"

The next succeeding lines seemed to have answered his question.

_Shikamaru, I love you and please do know_

_It's hard for me to let you go._

_But I know Temari's the girl you love,_

_Best wishes to the both of you, love,_

_Ino._

When he had finished reading the poem, he slid from the bed and fell on his knees, with that piece of paper in his hand. He cried rivers of tears just repeating lines from the poem in his mind.

"Ino! Why, Ino? Where the hell did you get an idea like that!?

"_You're _the one I love! How could you think it was Temari?"

Then, he stood up, walked over to the desk and gasped when he saw the photo of him and Temari together in the Ichiraku Café. He picked it up, held it tight and looked at it.

"Who the hell took this picture?" he said. "Oh no. Ino's must've seen this and thought…"

Without more ado, he rushed downstairs to get his coat and decided to drive around Konoha to look for her. He looked desperately as he drove his car, not minding the swishing windshield wipers as they cleaned-up the splats of snow on the windshield.

"Oh, Ino… Where could you be?"

He called up lots of people to tell them that Ino ran away. He called up Choji, Sakura, Neji, Lee, Asuma, Naruto, Sai and even Temari, just to get them all to help him. Soon enough, everyone went out to look for Ino in the midst of the falling snow.

NARUTO: I, Uzumaki Naruto, Hokage of Konoha, command you to look for Yamanaka Ino!

POLICE: Yes, sir! But first let us know. How does this Ino look like?

NARUTO: Well, um… Let's see…

SHIKAMARU: She's gorgeous! She's got blue eyes, long blonde hair, a very curvaceous body and big boobs! Can you find her?

Immediately, everyone in the Konoha Police had started drooling when they heard Shikamaru's description.

"Uh… Thanks," Shikamaru said. "Ino… Why? There goes my marriage proposal… It was supposed to be tonight, at exactly 12 midnight…"

Then, from his pocket, he brought out a small gift wrapped in red wrapping paper. It had a huge golden ribbon on it. "Ino…" he sighed as he looked at the parcel in his hand.

"Don't give up, Shikamaru." Naruto said, "We'll find her, I promise. Your efforts won't be put to waste, believe it!" He rubbed Shikamaru comfortingly on the back.

Then, Sasuke and Sakura came into the room, breathing heavily. "We went to the studio to check, but sadly, she wasn't there." Sakura said sadly.

"She wasn't in Ninja Academy either." Sasuke added.

Shikamaru's hopes and dreams were starting to fall apart. "Oh, Ino. Where could you be?"

Then, Kiba, Shino and Hinata came. "My sister's dogs are out sniffing for her now, so don't you worry about a thing, Shikamaru-kun!" Kiba told them, "No one beats the Inuzuka Clan's sense of smell!"

"I sent out my dear minions to look for Ino-san as well." Shino said, "Don't worry. Even kikai bugs such as them are useful when it comes to finding things."

"I'll try using my Byakugan again later to look for her." Hinata said. "Neji-san is doing the same."

"Thanks for your help, guys." Shikamaru replied, "But I don't think we'd be able to find her…"

"I SAID DON'T LOSE HOPE, DAMMIT!" Naruto yelled, slapping Shikamaru's cheek, "Get a hold of yourself! I know Shikamaru's a lazy guy who wouldn't care about anything in the world, but I know he cares a lot about Ino as well!

"In fact, he loves her so much he would never lose hope when she's lost in the snow.

"All of us are trying our very best to find Ino. The least you can do is to have high hopes and pray."

Shikamaru sighed and replied, "Naruto… How do you expect me to have high hopes…

"…at a time like this? I'm useless. I'm all out of hope, Naruto! I can't do anything anymore! Life is meaningless to me now!"

"Don't say that, you sonuvabitch!" Naruto yelled, once again slapping Shikamaru's cheek. "If you're so down, everyone else will soon be too! How the hell are we supposed to look for Ino when we're all feeling down?

"Shikamaru… You've got great leadership skills. How could you have forgotten about staying calm and staying strong?

"How could you have forgotten about staying optimistic, even at dark times like this?

"The real Shikamaru would never give up on something so easily! Especially when that something is Ino, the one who is most important to him!"

Shikamaru suddenly gasped and felt alive again. Naruto went on, "If it were Sakura gone missing, I would never stop looking for her, no matter how my legs would ache just walking around searching for her."

Sakura gasped and blushed. "Na-Naruto!"

"YOU CALL YOURSELF A MAN!?" Naruto yelled, "LOOK AT YOU NOW! YOU'RE GIVING UP RIGHT AWAY!"

"Naruto…" Shikamaru said.

"Naruto's right, Shikamaru!" Choji said, "You're not the type who gives up easily. I know you as someone who would fight for anything, no matter how lazy you may be!"

"Choji…"

"You love Ino! Why are you being so negative? You should believe we'd be able to find her!" Kiba added, "Cliché as it may sound, but you must fight for your love, Shikamaru! Don't waste your life just sitting there!"

"Kiba…"

"Right." Sasuke said, "You have legs don't you? Get up and use them."

"Sasuke…"

Slowly, an urging energy was building up in Shikamaru's mind. His friends… All of them encouraging him to strive for the better and keep looking… He suddenly felt how foolish he was to have thought of giving up. He stood up with a determined look on his face and said to them, "What kind of a guy am I? I love Ino and all of you know that!

"What the hell was I thinking? Just sitting here, looking all depressed.

"Some dumbass I've been. But now, everything you guys said make perfect sense."

Then, with a smirk on his face, he said, "I have legs. And I'll use them to look for her."

Right away, he put his coat on and dashed out of the Hokage's office. As of this moment, there was only one thing on his mind: to find Ino and bring her back home for Christmas. This story is almost going to end, so let's all hope for a happy ending with Shikamaru!


	74. Chapter 74

**We are fighting dreamers!! Fighting for our love!! BAM!**

**Chapter 74- The Search is On!!!**

"Gaara! Kankurou! Will the two of you stop fighting and get to work!"

The sand's three siblings- Gaara, Temari and Kankurou were out looking for Ino as well. They were searching all of Konoha, under the falling snow.

"Why should we go look for that blonde girl together with the rest of these freaks?" Kankurou asked, "We aren't supposed to be part of this, ya know."

"Shikamaru's desperate." Temari replied. "Ino's gone. I know exactly how painful it is to lose a loved one. Trust me, I've cried over men so many times before.

"I won't let Shikamaru feel the same."

Kankurou was surprised by Temari's answer. It was quite an unexpected one, so he said, "If that's the case, I'll give it my all just to look for that girl, no matter how ridiculous it sounds to help people from another country."

"Yer still pretty friggin' damn annoying." Gaara said.

"WHAT THE FRIGGIN' HELL DID YOU SAY!?"

"Guys! Stop it at once!!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"BYAKUGAN!!!"

"Well, is there any sign of her, Neji?"

"Sigh. It's official. Ino isn't anywhere in this park, Tenten."

"Then, let's try someplace else! We can't give up now!"

"Yes, dear!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Somewhere in Konoha, flying through the trees…

"GAI-SENSEI!!! I can't see Ino anywhere below!"

"That's okay, Lee! We still have plenty more places to look for her, so don't you lose hope in finding her!"

"Yes, sir!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh, Asuma. There isn't any sign of your old student anywhere." Kurenai sighed.

"Where could that girl be?" Asuma sneered, "She's causing everyone so much trouble! And it's Christmas Eve! Where the heck could she be?"

"Wherever she is, I hope we find her soon." Kurenai answered, "If we don't, poor Shikamaru won't have anyone to spend Christmas with!"

"We have to keep trying." Asuma said as he started setting foot again.

"Don't worry, daddy!" Hikaru said, "I'm praying we'll be able to find the blonde-haired neesan soon!"

"Awww, thanks, sweetie."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Where on earth…"

"Kakashi-sensei, if you were Ino, where would you go to?"

Kakashi and Sai were looking for Ino together, using their ANBU skills to search far and wide.

"Gee, I don't know!" Kakashi replied laughing, "The shopping mall maybe."

"But the mall's closed today." Sai said, "It's the 24th of December!"

"Then let's keep looking elsewhere. I'm sure she's just around here in Konoha, Sai. Don't worry!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And in another part of Konoha, driving as fast as he could, looking around with his heart beating frantically for his missing loved one, was no other than Nara Shikamaru!

"I'll find you no matter what!" he said, stepping on the pedal really hard. "As long as my heart beats for you, Ino, nothing is impossible. My love for you will overcome anything."

And the search went on and on until it darkened. Everyone else was tired-out, but Shikamaru was still determined enough to look around Konoha again and look for Ino.

It was the 24th of December, a cold night and just a few more hours 'til the clock strikes twelve.

**Well, guys, I'm gonna have a break first to have dinner! The end is almost coming, so I'd surely be finished with this fanfic after eating! For doing this fic in around five months, I can say I've accomplished quite a lot and I'm glad. Now, it's time for me to raid the refrigerator! See 'ya when I return! ;-) SK**


	75. Chapter 75

**(Music: "Asterisk" by Orange Range…)**

**Hello, everybody! I'm back! Did you miss me? Dinner was great! Now, I'm gonna work extra hard so I could get this fanfic done tonight! I don't care if I have school tomorrow; Everyday is just as troublesome as the last! So heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's…**

**Chapter 75- Will You Please Just Get Out of My Head!**

It was getting dark and the streetlights were soon turned on. Many colorful, bright city lights soon filled the streets of Konoha with life. People were walking along the place, either in couples or by families. The Holiday spirit filled each and every individual with joy, love and hope. Every street corner was a place for merriment and joy. But only one place was the darkest of all. Miserable and mislaid in her old apartment unit, Ino lies sorrowfully on the dusty wooden floor, lost in her memories. She was staring blankly into nothing, seeing that her old apartment unit was just as boring as it was before she left it to stay with Shikamaru at his place. Tears were falling from her eyes, but she wasn't making any sound. She was still as a lowly rock, crying silently for her broken heart.

Finally getting bored of just lying around, she sits up and creeps over to her suitcase. She opens it and looks at all of the wonderful clothes that were inside. All of them came from either her dear friend Sakura or her broken love, Shikamaru. She tried as hard as she could to forget about him, but it was just too hard for a girl like her: a girl who dreams of sharing a sweet, loving romance with the man of her dreams. She searched her bag for other things that might get her mind to stop thinking about Shikamaru. She tried and she tried, but didn't succeed. Everywhere she looked, anything she looked at, Shikamaru always came into her mind, one way or another.

"Why won't you stop coming!?" she yelled, "Why do you always pop into my head, no matter how hard I try to forget all about you!?"

Enraged and full of annoyance, she stood from her place, picked up her suitcase and threw it, creating a loud noise once it reached the floor. She breathed heavily, as her fury slowly took over her.

"Get outta my head, you bastard!" she yelled on, "I wanna stop thinking about you and live freely! If you were just gonna hurt me like those other guys did, I never should've fallen in love with you in the first place!

"If all that love ever did was hurt me, then I swear to never fall in love with anyone again!"

She punched the wall really hard, creating a small crack. "Stupid man… I hate him from the bottom of my heart! I can't believe I fell for a two-timer like him!"

Slowly weakening, Ino fell to the floor with tears in her eyes. "Why must I always get hurt like this? Maybe it wasn't destiny for me to fall in love, anyway…"

Once again, she gazed at the complete nothingness of a dark, empty space. The cold wind was blowing softly into her room, but she still shivered no matter how softly it blew. For hours, she tried to stand the frosty coldness of the winter air until she finally gave up and decided to go outside for some fresh air. Though it was against her will, she put on the jacket Shikamaru bought for her. There was nothing else warm enough to protect her from the cold, so _that _jacket was her one and only option.

Still full of anger and rage, Ino walks out her apartment unit and goes out into the snowy streets, full of couples walking hand-in-hand.


	76. Chapter 76

**Chillax, Ino! **

**Chapter 76- The Encounter! The Chase! The Proposal at Midnight! The Grand Finale!**

"Ino! Ino, please come back to me, Ino!"

Shikamaru got tired of driving his car, so now he's looking for Ino on the streets, walking. Things didn't go very smoothly; every time he'd see a girl with long, blonde hair, he'd call her and think she was Ino. So many long-haired blondes were on the street, but sadly, none of them was the girl he was looking for. Desperate and tired, Shikamaru sat on a park bench with his feet aching.

"Darn… How troublesome…" he said, "It's December 24 and it's already 11:50 p.m.

"I'll never find her in time!"

Then, he grasped the parcel wrapped handsomely in red paper. "Ino…" he sighed, "Please… At least let me see you open this present…"

He sighed as he looked up at the starry night sky. "For everybody else, this is a great night… But for me, it's a proposal turned into a disaster.

"I lost the girl of my dreams and now, I'm sitting on this park bench alone."

He sighed again. "When I was a kid, I used to wish Ino were gone. But now, I wish she was always right beside me.

"Oh God. Please. Give me another chance!"

Suddenly, a very strong wind blew against him. "What on earth…"

Then, he gasped when he saw a very familiar-looking woman walked into the park. She looked as if she was about to hit someone hard on the head. His heart beat with excitement and he stood up quickly to go to her.

"Ino!" he called out.

Ino looked at him and ran as soon as she saw him running to her.

"Ino! Wait! You're getting the wrong idea about me and Temari!" he said as he chased her across the place.

"Shut up!" Ino replied, "I don't know you! Please stop chasing me!"

"It's me, Shikamaru!"

"Shikamaru's long gone in my memories!" Ino cried out, "I hate him!"

"Wait, Ino!" Shikamaru called out, "Come back! I can explain!"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!!! You're irritating!" Ino answered, "I don't wanna see that face of yours anymore so please! If you don't mind, just forget about me already!"

This chase between love and hate caught attention of so much people. They dashed across the streets, yelling and screaming at one another. It went on for minutes until a huge bright light shone over Ino, thus creating a shadow on the ground.

"Now's my chance." Shikamaru said. He performed his clan's hand seal and yelled, "Kage Mane no Jutsu!"

Being tired and worn out, Ino didn't have a chance to run and avoid his jutsu. Once his shadow bound with hers, she completely lost control of her body and stayed still as Shikamaru walked closer and closer to her, making her walk closer and closer to him as well. And when they were finally as close as possible, Shikamaru stretched out his arms and held Ino tight to make sure she wouldn't run off.

"What do you want with me!?" Ino said angrily, "You've ruined my life enough already!"

"Ino, just listen to my simple request!" Shikamaru replied, "Please,"

"If I listen to you, will you stop running after me already!?" Ino answered, "I'm tired of seeing you!"

"That depends…" Shikamaru replied as he slowly let go of Ino and reached into his pocket. Then, he flashed her a gift that was wrapped in red paper.

"What is that?" Ino asked.

"This… is my request." Shikamaru replied. "All I want from you now is to open this. What happens after will decide things."

"If I open this…" Ino began as she reached out to get the present, "Will you stop bothering me?"

"I said whatever happens next will decide things." Shikamaru replied. "Now, open it."

Carefully, she untied the golden ribbon that was around the small package. Then, she slowly ripped off the red paper that wrapped a small black leather box. Ino's heart beat nervously as she held the tiny box in her hands. "What could this be?" she asked herself.

And in an instant, the clock tower rang. It was finally twelve midnight, December 25.

"Shikamaru! I…"

Ino was speechless after opening the small box. Because inside was a shiny, diamond ring that probably cost thousands of Ryo.

"I needed some courting tips from Temari so I'd know how to propose to you." Shikamaru said nervously as he scratched his head, "That picture you saw… Yeah… We met at Ichiraku a few days ago so I could ask her for some marriage proposal tips…

"Nothing happened between Temari and me. You're the only one for me, Ino."

"Shikamaru… I… I'm sorry." Ino replied. "How can I repay you for the horrible things I've said?"

Shikamaru smiled and answered, "You can repay me by answering this very simple question, actually!"

Gently, he took the box from Ino's hand, knelt down and said…

"Yamanaka Ino…

"Will you marry me?"

Fireworks exploded in the dark sky as these two lovers, brought back together by fate (and by this wonderful author) stood close to each other. Ino was speechless, but her heart started to beat once again. Now that she knew why Shikamaru and Temari were together, there was only one answer to this marriage proposal.

"Yes."

Shikamaru smiled triumphantly and placed the ring on Ino's finger. "It looks good on you." He said, "It matches you, as my bright star in the night sky."

Then, he stood up and held his lover tight. The two of them watched the fireworks that night, sure of better days coming up ahead. Then, with love and affection they passionately kissed as a sign of reconciliation and hopes for new beginnings.

**The End.**

**Well, I hope you liked that! If you still want more, don't you worry about a thing! I'll come up with a continuation of this story after taking a SHORT break from writing ShikaIno fics. Slut's sequel is coming soon, with a different title, of course! I'll also be working on a compilation of my Akatsuki commercials if you liked them. Thanks for supporting! ;-) SK**


End file.
